Target: Destiny
by strawberries
Summary: Yami Bakura x Anzu Bakura and Anzu have been happily married as rulers of Bakura for the past four yearswhen they're not biting each other's heads off. However, someone's obsessed with Anzu, and if he can't have her, nobody will...
1. Chapter One

Target: Destiny

Chapter One

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A/N: Hello, one and all. Thanks so much for giving this fic a shot. This is the sequel to Target: You. If you have not read that story, I _highly _suggest you do. Otherwise, there will be some mentionings in this story which will not make any sense to you. Thanks!

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"Bakura!" Anzu's frustrated yell resounded through the corridors of the palace causing servants to turn toward the origin and stare in wonder.

From his place in his office, the startled king's thrown dagger plunged into the couch five feet away from the intended target. He turned his head toward the door. "What the hell was that about?" he wondered aloud. Malik set down his glass of brandy.

"She sounded upset," he offered. Bakura's eyes went wide with apprehension.

"Oh, God. It's early, it's early!" With a gasp, he bolted from the room.

Malik slapped his forehead. There was no way it could be _this _early. Calmly, he stood from his chair and exited the office in pursuit of his cousin. Soon enough, he had only to follow the yelling to know where the king and queen were. Servants paused in their daily duties, whispering to one another and pointing in the direction of the royal chambers. Malik halted in the doorframe of the royal main sitting room. Anzu's hands were on her hips, an angry gleam in her eyes.

"So, it's not early?" Bakura asked in relief. Anzu seemed confused for a moment.

"What?" She waved him off. "Anyway, why did you give such a dangerous toy to him?"

Bakura glanced down at the small boy sitting on the couch armrest, his bleeding foot held up by a young girl. His large, blue eyes were rimmed in red as proof of crying, and were wide with more unshed tears. Bakura guiltily looked back at his wife. "The other boys had slingshots, and he wanted one, too."

Anzu sighed agitatedly. "He's too young for a slingshot."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "This coming from someone who pointed guns at everything." Malik snorted quietly in amusement from his place in the doorway.

"I was a teenager, not three!" Anzu shot back. "Get me his first aid kit from the bathroom."

"Let his nurse patch him up," Bakura suggested, trying to soothe his aggravated wife. Anzu's eyes narrowed, and she dug her fists deeper into her hips.

Slowly, she growled out, "Get your son's first aid kit or you'll regret it."

Bakura's brows furrowed down, and he locked himself in a glaring match with his wife. Malik sighed; they were at it again. There was simply no living with them lately. He could not see himself ever getting married. With a sigh, he strode over to the bathroom, opening one of the ebony wood cabinets. Judging between a pink first aid kit and a blue one, he chose the latter. He handed it to Anzu wordlessly, shaking his head in disapproval at his cousin.

"Thank you, Malik. You're such a dear compared to your prideful cousin," Anzu said, snapping out the last few words. Malik smirked. Anzu adored him now, but neither would ever forget how she had wanted to kill him those long eight years ago.

"You're impossible to be around in your state. I swear if you ever get pregnant again, I'm going into hiding!" Bakura exclaimed. Anzu made a sound of disgust.

"Well, thanks so much! And I suppose I just jumped on _myself_ and got pregnant?" she retorted hotly. Bakura threw his arms up in angry surrender. He knew it was useless to argue with his wife. She had insane cravings and a wild attitude. The first he could deal with; dragging himself into the palace kitchens at three in the morning to prepare a steak smothered in strawberry sauce was something he could handle. However, trying to avoid Anzu's mood swings was a challenge, and they were only becoming more frequent as she neared her term-she still had two months to go.

"Daddy, take me down to the courtyard," the young girl requested, puckering out her lower lip in a well-practiced manner. Bakura cringed. It did not matter what his daughter requested; if she puckered out that damned lip, he would have to say yes. She wasn't even eight yet and she already had the begging look perfected. He grimaced when he thought about how much practice she would have by the age she would start wanting to date. He ruffled his son's ivory locks, displaying them in an even more wild manner than usual.

"Okay, Ryoko," he conceded, following the tiny brunette and Malik out the door.

Anzu exhaled a breath and shook her head. She went to work patching up her son's cut foot, setting aside the offending slingshot. A three-year-old was simply too young to know how to properly shoot a slingshot. She could smack Bakura. "Baku, hold still, sweetie," she said, wrapping his foot with a bandage after cleaning it out. The little boy squirmed on the seat, trying to tug his foot free of the stinging medication. "Prince Bakura Katsuya the Fifteenth!" Anzu started in a threatening tone. The child shrank back and held his foot perfectly still. Anytime his mother used his full name, he knew she was serious.

Anzu finished wrapping her son's foot, helping him to stand tenderly on it. She led him back out to the play yard with his nurse, then left to check on her other child. She sighed tiredly and patted her round belly. The jerk wouldn't need to worry about her getting pregnant again. Three children was _plenty._

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"And we need more tea!" Ryoko demanded, holding her playset teacup out to her side. The three other girls sitting at the small table nodded eagerly and held their own teacups out. A little boy ran up to them and pretended to pour tea into their cups with the toy teapot.

"Say 'thank you,' Ryoko," Anzu chastised. The three other girls bobbed a curtsy. Ryoko merely raised a brow.

"But that's his job!" she insisted.

Anzu frowned and was about to scold her daughter further, but the boy nodded in agreement. "Yes, Queen Anzu! I wanted to!" he piped up.

"Well, that was very generous of you, but Ryoko still needs to say 'please' and 'thank you' or I'll have her father beat her little butt," Anzu replied, giving her daughter a stern look. The girl pouted and crossed her arms.

"Daddy wouldn't beat my butt!" Ryoko told her, appalled at the mere suggestion.

Anzu sighed. "No, you're probably right. But I will!"

Ryoko's eyes widened. "Would you really, mom?" she whispered. Anzu laughed and shrugged.

"I'll think about it and get back to you."

"Think about what?" Bakura asked, walking up to them and kissing his wife softly on the lips, seemingly have forgotten about their minor spat a little while earlier.

"The many ways to make you miserable," she jested, grinning mischievously. He nodded solemnly and lifted his waiting daughter up onto his hip.

"You're so good at that," he told Anzu. He looked down at Ryoko. "You're getting too big for this!"

The seven-year-old gasped. "Are you saying I'm fat!"

He lifted a brow and glanced at Anzu. He mouthed 'fat?' He looked back at his daughter in wonderment. "Where do you learn these things?"

The group of children and the king and queen were startled as a white blur ran past them, screaming the entire time. Anzu tilted her head in confusion. "Was that-"

"Baku, come back!" two young girls yelled as they chased after the three-year-old whose foot seemed to be much better. Anzu shook her head.

"Like father like son," she grumbled to herself. Bakura shrugged with a prideful grin.

"He can't help his good looks, even at that age," the king replied.

"Hey, daddy, can we have more dagger practice today?" Ryoko begged with her lower lip puckered out, as usual.

"Of course," he agreed quickly. He set her down on her feet and turned to his wife. "Anzu, I came to ask if you wanted to attend the BA meeting later today. All of the Bakurian Alliance planets will be represented on the tele-comm."

Anzu massaged her protruding belly. "We'll see how I feel."

He offered his arm. "Come and I'll take you back for your nap." She accepted the support and leaned slightly on him. As they turned away to head back into the palace, a puff of black smoke appeared, and a second later, the Earth prince stood before them. Bakura jumped back in alarm.

"Shi...iuuYuugi!" he corrected his curse, remembering the children. "What the devil are you doing popping in out of nowhere?" he demanded. Yuugi merely brushed past him and straight to Anzu. He took his former fiancee's hands in his.

"Anzu, how I've missed you these past few months! You look simply beautiful, as always," he told her, gracing the top of each hand with a kiss. She waved him off.

"Oh, you're just being nice," she responded with a flattered smile. A vein twitched in Bakura's forehead.

"Yes, he is," he agreed. Anzu glared at him.

"Don't agree, you buffoon!" she snapped. Yuugi tsked at Bakura disapprovingly. The king bared his teeth at the prince.

"What I _meant _was that he's only saying that because he's a bloody sleeze!"

Anzu gasped. "Bakura!" she hissed, sending an apologetic smile to her old friend. Yuugi lifted a brow at Bakura and curled his upper lip.

"So, Yuugi, how are you enjoying _prince_dom?" Bakura asked, clearly trying to bait the thirty-one-year-old. The wild-haired Earthling merely smirked.

"I am enjoying it immensely. No responsibilities, you know, so I can spend as much time with _whoever _I want."

Anzu glanced between her husband and former fiancee uneasily. Whenever they were within speaking range of each other, an argument was inevitable. She cleared her throat. "Yuugi, how did you get here?"

"We have developed the same technique of instantaneous transportation from planet-to-planet that the Ascenians have, only ours is done with a machine, obviously," Yuugi boasted. He looked deeply into the queen's eyes. "Are you impressed?"

"Yes!" Anzu laughed, gently tugging her hands from Yuugi's grip.

"Oh, brother," Bakura muttered, frowning and looking away.

"So, Anzu," Yuugi began though he started intently at Bakura, "I can visit you whenever I want! And I'll be staying here for the meeting later."

Bakura glared at him and seemed ready to protest until Anzu stepped in. She gripped his forearm tightly. "Bakura, _dear,_ my nap?"

He grinned victoriously at Yuugi. "Excuse us, Yuugi. My _wife _needs to rest."

The prince frowned at Bakura before nodding sweetly at Anzu. "Rest well," he hoped, kissing her cheek one last time. She smiled and dragged Bakura off before he let loose his temper on the Earthling prince.

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"And so I told all of these women, 'Sorry, ladies, but I can only handle ten of you at a time. You'll have to take turns,'" Malik related to Ryoko. Her eyes were wide, and she looked at him with awe.

"All of those women wanted to play with your sword?" she asked in wonder. Malik nodded confidently and took a sip of his brandy. Ryoko pursed her lips together, and she asked innocently, "Can I play with it, too, Uncle Malik?"

The blond spewed brandy all over the lemon-hued grass. He coughed and choked up the remaining liquid. Warily, he looked down at the girl. "Ah, Princess, I think you're a bit too young to be playing with... ahem, swords."

She made a sound of protest and puckered out her lower lip. "But daddy lets me throw his dagger all the time!"

Malik leaned back in apprehension before chuckling nervously. He thanked the higher power at work for keeping Ryoko from understanding what he was talking about.

"Are you filling her ears with filth again, Lord Malik?" a sensual voice asked as the woman stood behind Malik with her arms crossed over her generous bosom. He glanced up and behind him.

"Of course not. We were entirely clean until you showed up, Careen," he told her with a smirk. She rolled her eyes. Holding a hand out to Ryoko, she beckoned the girl to her.

"Come with me, Princess Ryoko, and we can go find your brother," Careen said. Ryoko hopped up and skipped over to the voluptuous blonde.

"I think he's hiding from girls again," the seven-year-old suggested, wrinkling her nose in disapproval. Careen laughed lightly.

"Well, let's go rescue him then. Good day, Lord Malik," she said, directing the man a haughty smile.

"It will be once you leave," he replied with a wolfish grin. She stuck her tongue out at him before toting Ryoko off. He watched the two go before standing up to go in search of a swordsplay partner.

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"Ahh... oh, Bakura!" Anzu screamed, gripping the bedsheet tightly on her hands and knees. Bakura groaned from behind her.

After one last thrust, the king and queen flopped down on their backs, Anzu resting a hand on her swollen abdomen. She glanced over at him exhaustedly.

"I'm supposed to be resting," she reminded him with half-hearted annoyance. He smirked at her, a gleam in his eye.

"So, rest then. Who's stopping you?"

She made a sound of exasperation. "You were!" She laughed and pushed him over onto the other side of the bed. She turned over onto her side carefully and closed her eyes. "Wake me up before the meeting tonight," she told him.

Bakura mumbled an 'okay' before stretching and standing from the bed. Anzu listened to him throw his clothes on and leave the room before falling asleep.

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The first chapter, to let you all know where everyone stands in life. XD This story will not be as long as Target: You, thus the plot should start developing in the next chapter. See you then!


	2. Chapter Two

Target: Destiny

Chapter Two

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A/N: Thanks for the nice responses in the first chapter. I'm glad you all like it so far. -Insert smiley that FFdotnet won't allow-

Dojomistressambychan: Yeah, it can be dangerous. But Bakura can be insistent at times, y'know. XD

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"My queen," a servant whispered, gently prodding Anzu in the shoulder, "my king sent me to awaken you for the meeting."

Anzu moaned softly and rolled onto her back. She rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes and yawned. The servant, her lady's maid from back on Yamisha, helped her into a sitting position.

"Thank you, Tifah."

The blonde woman smiled and offered her hand. Taking it, Anzu stood and slipped her delicate feet into her slippers. Tifah led her out into the main sitting room where Ryoko and Baku were rolling a ball back and forth to each other.

"Do you need a wetcloth, my queen?" Tifah asked, knowing how Anzu was prone to sweating in her pregnancies.

Anzu shook her head. "No, I'm fine. And how many times must I tell you to call me Anzu? We have known each other for quite some time, you know!" she scolded lightly.

Tifah laughed. "I'll try to remember."

"Ryoko, you suck!" Baku complained when his sister let the green ball roll through her legs for the third time. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. Ryoko scowled right back.

"This is a stupid game!" she retorted.

"You only think it's stupid 'cause you suck at it!"

Anzu prodded the ball with her foot, and it slowly rolled back over to the feuding siblings. "Baku, be nice to your sister." He glared at Ryoko one more time before jumping up on the couch, his feet dangling over the edge of the cushion. Ryoko stuck her tongue out at him before taking the ball and going into her bedroom.

Anzu turned to Tifah. "Which meeting room is he in?"

"In A-1, my queen. Anzu," she amended with a smile. "I'll go with you," she offered, hoping Anzu would not refuse the assistance in case she began to feel ill along the way.

Anzu had had rough pregnancies with both Ryoko and Baku as far as illness went. She was sick almost everyday for at least a short time. She also experienced bouts of exhaustion at random intervals during the day. It was not uncommon for the young queen to feel fine one minute and faint the next.

Anzu nodded. "Thank you." She turned to Baku. "Be good. Don't do anything your father might catch you doing. God knows he'll encourage it," she mumbled to herself sarcastically.

The three-year-old boy smiled sheepishly and nodded, his large blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "Sure, momma."

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Anzu entered the A-1 meeting room, bidding Tifah good-bye as she did. Bakura met her at the door and escorted her the rest of the way to her seat. Forty or so delegates from other planets were already on the vid-screen, but it would be another few minutes before the other half of the planets were represented. Bakura helped her sit in the chair between his and Malik's.

The meeting room had only one small table and four chairs inside of it. However, a hundred or so vid-screens covered all four walls. Within a few minutes, almost all of them were in use. Only ten females were shown on their respective screens, all alongside a husband except two. Anzu herself usually didn't even attend these boring meetings, but Bakura scarcely let her out of his sight; no matter how many times she assured him she was not due yet, he seemed to believe she could go into labor at any given moment.

This meeting was also more important than the others in the fact that every planet in the Bakurian Trading Alliance was represented. An annual meeting like this was held to solve any disputes that may have continued for too long, to negotiate militia help for war, or to simply answer questions and talk about trade. After Yuugi and Malik entered the room, the discussions began.

"So glad you could all make it," Bakura said by way of greeting.

"Yes, even though it is the middle of the night for some of us," one of the delegates responded in good humor.

Bakura laughed jovially. "It's terrible to be you."

After thirty minutes of boring talk about the hottest products of the next year, Anzu was startled as Baku ran into the room, screaming, "You'll never catch me in here!" as he looked over his shoulder at some unseen child. He ran right into his father and looked up slowly.

The furious expression on Bakura's face was enough to send the three-year-old running for his mother. The king crossed his arms, angry that someone had let his son into such an important meeting.

"Don't scare him with that scowling mug of yours, Bakura!" Anzu scolded as she pried Baku's arms off her leg.

"Well, who let him in here?" he demanded.

"Oh, he's absolutely precious!" one of the ladies on a vid-screen exclaimed.

"What a darling!" another one agreed.

"Queen Anzu, he is growing up to be such a dear!" one queen said with admiration. Anzu smiled graciously and thanked them. Baku beamed under the attention and compliments he knew were aimed at him.

"Quit babbling, Dohni," the last queen's husband said harshly. The woman obediently went silent, although not before she sent a furious frown in his direction.

"I'll take him," Anzu told Bakura. She kissed him softly before leaving the meeting room with their son in tow.

"You should not show affection toward your family, King Bakura. It can be seen as a weakness," Dohni's husband observed in disapproval. Bakura merely raised a brow and sat back down.

Malik chuckled and shook his head. "You do realize you're telling that to the king of one of the strongest planets in our surrounding galaxies, and possibly the entire known universe."

Bakura waved his cousin off. "The old man's just jealous because we're better-looking than him," he said good-naturedly. The sour-faced king shifted offensively in his seat.

Malik nodded in agreement. "And you know what really sucks? He ages quicker than us, so he doesn't stand a chance."

"Actually," Yuugi cut in. "I think he's just ruffled because he doesn't have a cute, little tot of his own to get mad at for disrupting meetings."

Bakura was genuinely surprised to hear Yuugi come to his defense, but he realized moments later that it was probably in Anzu's defense rather than his own.

The king glared at his wife while saying, "Well, if _she _would bear me a son instead of all these daughters!" The woman looked away uncomfortably.

Yuugi's eyes narrowed. "Of course, you realize that having so many daughters is _your _fault, and not the female's."

The king gasped in outrage. "What!"

Bakura cleared his throat and decided to stop the argument at its beginning. "All right, gentleman, we've had our fun. Back to the topics at hand, if you please."

After Malik was done snickering behind his hand, and the angry king's face was back to its cyan pallor instead of cherry-red, Bakura rolled out his agenda. "First, we'll check inventory. Ascenia first." He looked up from his papers and over to the left wall where Ascenia's vid-screen was located. Seto's scowling face was boring into Bakura's, his arms crossed over his chest regally as always.

The meeting continued for a few hours before finally drawing to a close. Bakura stood and stretched, and Malik and Yuugi followed suit.

"Well, Bakura, I know you'll miss me dreadfully, but I must be going," Yuugi declared. Bakura feigned disappointment.

"Do hurry back, little prince!" he exclaimed with mock sadness. Yuugi grinned like a cat stalking a mouse.

"Don't worry. I can't leave Anzu for too long."

Malik shook the younger man's hand and rushed him into leaving via his instantaneous transportation device before Bakura became truly angry and beat the living hell out of the Earthling prince.

"That bastard," he muttered after Yuugi was gone. Malik smiled.

"He's just trying to rile you up," he told his ivory-haired cousin. Bakura mumbled an incoherent agreement before exiting the meeting room with Malik behind him.

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"Uncle Jou, Aunt Mai! When are you coming to visit me?" Ryoko asked with a pout. She looked wide-eyed at the vid-screen showing the two Earthlings.

"Meh, who'd wanna visit you, Ryoko?" Baku asked, sticking his tongue out cutely.

"Bakura!" Anzu reprimanded her son. "You've been nothing but naughty today. Don't make me tell your father."

The three-year-old frowned, but ended his torments on his older sister.

"I promise we'll come visit really soon," Mai told the young girl. Jounouchi nodded his agreement. The pair waved before disappearing from the vid-screen.

"Oh, great, more of those damn Earthlings are coming?" Bakura observed distastefully as he entered the main sitting room. He pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside.

"Don't sound so excited," Anzu replied sarcastically. Bakura padded over to their joint walk-in closet and retrieved a light shirt and sweat pants.

"No, really, I almost care," the king told her. She glared at him. He continued, "And anyway, when are they going to have another of their 'world wars' and wipe themselves out completely?"

Anzu punched him in the shoulder. He rubbed the sore spot and scowled. "I'm going train," he told her. He pulled her in for a kiss, but was interrupted by a popping from behind them. The king and queen looked in the direction of the sound.

"Damnit, what the hell are you doing here now!" Bakura yelled, turning away from his wife. Ryoko gasped at the 'bad words' while her brother laughed and pointed. Yuugi stood undaunted at the Bakurian king's outburst.

"Well, I couldn't leave without telling Anzu good-bye myself," the Earth prince responded coolly. He moved to go to Anzu, but Bakura blocked his path.

"Yes, you could have. It's simple even for people with two-digit IQs. I'll get you started: turn your ass around and get out."

Anzu frowned at her husband. "Don't be difficult," she complained while shaking her head. She hugged Yuugi and said a quick good-bye. This seemed to satisfy the Earth prince, for he soon left for good. Bakura clenched a fist as a vein throbbed in his forehead.

"Your friends are morons," he told Anzu. She merely lifted a brow. He padded over to the door to be certain Yuugi had truly left.

A sweet scent caught the king's nose, and he looked down in the doorway. A tall, crystal vase held a dozen cerulean-blue roses. He bent down and picked up the vase, examining it curiously. He flipped open the note, but it only read two sentences: _As beautiful as you. Your admirer._

He clenched his teeth and crumpled up the note. He doubted his seven-year-old daughter was old enough for this. So then, his wife had a secret admirer? He gripped the vase jealously before realizing how absurd he was being. So what if she had an admirer; he married her, after all! He re-entered the main sitting room with the flowers in hand.

"Anzu, someone"

"Oh, Bakura! You got those for me?" she exclaimed happily.

"W-Well..." he stammered. Finally, he just handed her the vase with an awkward smile. She hugged him tightly before taking the vase into another room. He stared after her, feeling slightly guilty; the feeling only lasted mere minutes, of course.

"Daddy, daddy!" Ryoko screamed, running up and jumping onto her father's back.

"There's my princess!" he replied and bounced her up further on his back, all thoughts of the admirer forgotten.

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Sorry for the delay. I've been mega-busy lately. Like... I'm-going-to-die busy. Things should slow down a bit after this-coming week though. I'll be able to write more. Also, please take a minute to check out my Yami Bakura x Anzu fandom site "Vexation" at http:an-eternityDOTcom/vexation. It has some great stories by equally great authors, and it's growing everyday!


	3. Chapter Three

Target: Destiny

Chapter Three

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Bakura rubbed his sore shoulder while he glared at Anzu. She lowered her hand to her side after its assault on her husband. Planting her other hand on her hip, she raised a brow at him and tapped her foot irritably.

"Were you going to take credit for this one, too, you sly jackass?" she demanded, holding up the golden chain with a single sapphire dangling from it.

Anzu had received another gift from her secret admirer, this one quite a bit more expensive than the last from what Bakura could tell although he would admit his jewelery knowledge was limited. He had truly had no intention of claiming this gift like he did the flowers, but Anzu had come upon him before he could bring it to her. After receiving a second gift, she came to the correct conclusion that she had an admirer, and the flowers from a few days before were not from Bakura.

"No, I wasn't. And don't hit me, damn you!" he replied tersely. She raised her hand and smacked him across the shoulder again.

"Anzu!" he bellowed heatedly.

She pivoted on her heel and stormed into the bedroom, locking the door behind her. Bakura glanced at the clock which read ten-forty o'clock at night. He stared back at the daunting bedroom door.

"You can't mean to make me stay out here all night!" he said incredulously. After a few moments of silence, he banged on the door. He really did not want to walk back to his office to get his key. She had never locked him out of his own bedroom before!

"Come on. Let me in there with you, Angel," he requested smoothly, throwing in his pet name for her for extra measure. He purred, "You'll be lonely without me."

Her response was to open the door and throw his pillow at him before closing and locking it again. The pillow smacked Bakura in the face before dropping to the floor to reveal his shocked features. His chocolate eyes narrowed.

"I am going get my key, and you'll regret this when I do!" he told her angrily.

"I have your key!" she yelled back with a 'hmph.'

"What!" he demanded. He let out a growl of frustration before snatching up the pillow and stomping over to the couch. He kicked at the button on its side to extend it into a bed and flopped down onto it. He yanked the throw blanket off the back of the couch and threw it haphazardly over himself. With gritted teeth, he fell asleep.

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Tifah entered the main sitting room early the next morning to lay out the queen and princess's wardrobes for the day. She was startled to find the queen curled up into the king's side on the extended couch-bed. Both Bakura and Anzu awoke at the sound of the servant's gasp.

"Your majesties! I'm so sorry!" she apologized quickly, hiding her blush with her hands.

"No, it's all right," Anzu replied sleepily and stretched. Bakura looked down the length of his bare chest at her and lifted a brow.

"I told you you'd be lonely," he pointed out smugly. She 'accidently' elbowed him as she sat up on the couch-bed. Tifah helped her change out of her nightgown and into a daydress before taking it to the bathroom.

"Is today court day?" Anzu wondered aloud. Bakura nodded as he, too, sat up.

"Yeah. We have to listen to bullshit problems from commoners," he groaned. She just looked at him.

"You have no clue how arrogant you sound."

He shrugged. "No, I'm perfectly aware."

She rolled her eyes and left the sitting room to wake up their children.

Walking into Ryoko's room, she found the seven-year-old reading a fashion magazine and trying to apply lipstick; it was smeared across one cheek. She shook her head bemusedly. Ryoko would be eight in a month, but Anzu didn't ever remember being interested in make-up until she was thirteen or fourteen, and even then, she preferred not to use it in her tomboyish ways.

She exited the room and crossed the hall to Baku's bedroom. He was still sound asleep in bed. His head and one arm were dangling off one side of the bed, and his legs were hanging off the other edge. She laughed quietly to herself and crossed the room to his bed. She sat down next to him and brushed his hair off of his pale face.

He slowly cracked open an eyelid, his large blue orb peeking out from underneath. When he realized who had awakened him, he rolled over onto his side, taking the pillow with him and placed it over his head. "I don't wanna get up, momma," he complained, muffled.

Resting on the part of the bed where his pillow laid was a small picture. Anzu picked it up and examined it. She recognized the girl in the picture to be the six-year-old daughter of a count and countess. She rolled her eyes and replaced the picture, mumbling, "Oh, brother." Baku had completely skipped the 'cooties' stage. She could only imagine what a womanizer her son would be once he reached puberty.

"Fine, sleep a little longer. I'll have your maid wake you up in an hour," she told him before pushing off of the bed and leaving the room.

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"Well, we'll certainly look into the matter and get back to you soon," Anzu promised with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, your majesties! Here is a dukryo for your table," an old man said gratefully while holding out a basket with a roasted bird in it. Reclined on his throne, Bakura stared at the basket in disdain while a servant stepped forward to take it from the man's hands.

"If I get one more bloody dukryo for my table, I swear I'll"

Anzu elbowed Bakura as a warning.

"be rendered speechless from the sheer joy of receiving seventeen birds in one day!" he finished with a cheeky, forced smile.

The old man beamed. "I'm glad you like it! I'll bring two next time!"

Bakura gritted his teeth and stretched his smile even wider. "You do that."

After the old man had left the throne room, a soldier entered from a side door with a basket in hand. Bakura glanced over and groaned.

"I swear I'm going to become a vegetarian like Malik!" he complained and crossed his arms over his chest in what suspiciously resembled a pout.

"It is not a bird, my king," the soldier corrected as he bowed before the thrones. This seemed to put a spark of interest in Bakura's eyes. He sat up from his slouching position on his throne and held out a hand.

"Well, pass it over then," he said. The soldier hesitated.

"Actually, your majesty, it is for my queen," the young silver-haired man replied while glancing at Anzu uncertainly. She clapped her hands together eagerly.

"For me? Let's see what it is!" she exclaimed as she pushed herself off of the throne. She accepted the proferred wickered basket from the man and flipped open the lid. She clutched the fabric in shock, paying no heed to the basket as it fell to the floor with a soft thump. She unfolded the dress and held it up by its sleeves.

Bakura swiftly stood from his throne with a furious glint in his eyes. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked lowly. Anzu gulped nervously.

"A wedding dress," she confirmed. He snatched it from her hands and read the tag that was still on it. 'Cynthia's Bridal Wear.'

"Who the fuck is sending my wife a wedding dress?" Bakura growled. He wadded up the beautiful ivory gown and threw it down at the basket which he had just crushed with his black, polished boot. A few nobles stopped their idle gossip to see what was going on.

"Bakura, don't be rash," Anzu chided in a whisper. She glanced around to see who was watching the scene.

He ignored her. "These little gifts are getting out of hand. You're _my _woman, and I won't stand for someone trying to woo you!"

Anzu carefully squatted down to retrieve the dress. She refused his hand when he tried to help her back up. Holding the crumpled dress to her chest, she hissed, "You're being ridiculous." At his skeptical look, she continued, "They're harmless gifts!"

"You've gotten three in the past forty-eight hours!" Bakura exploded. With that, he stormed out of the throne room, leaving a bewildered Anzu to look after him.

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Malik looked up from some military applications as his door was slammed open by his cousin. He calmly plugged his ears, and Bakura re-slammed the door shut. Carefully folding his hands in his lap, Malik tilted his head curiously.

"Is Yuugi back?" he guessed. Bakura glanced up at him briefly before continuing hs pacing across Malik's personal office. The blond reached into a desk cabinet and pulled out of a bottle of vodka. He tossed it at Bakura's back, and the king reached behind his head to catch the bottle before it smashed into his head.

He popped off the cap and downed a third of the bottle before slamming it down on the desk. His chocolate eyes sparkled furiously.

"Care to talk about it?" Malik inquired.

Bakura whirled around and sat down on the desk, facing away. "She got a bloody _wedding dress _from that asshole!"

Malik did not need to ask who 'she' and 'that asshole' were. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on his desk.

"This would be the third gift, would it not?" he asked softly.

Bakura looked at him over his shoulder. "How did you know about the second one?" He had not seen his cousin at all that day, and so had not informed him about the sapphire necklace.

"Oh, Careen," Malik answered. Bakura looked away again and shook his head.

"I know it's stupid to be jealous over some nameless admirer, but he sent her a wedding dress for crying out loud!"

Malik stood from his seat and circled the desk to stand in front of his cousin. He shoved his dark hands into his lighter pants.

"Let's find the bastard, behead him, and hang his headless corpse by his testicles from your bedroom window, so that all may know who's the man," Malik suggested seriously. Bakura gawked at his cousin in shock before letting a small chuckle escape his pale lips.

"I'm not in the mood to laugh, Malik," Bakura said ruefully.

"Actually, I was quite serious, but if you think that's a bit extreme, we can leave his head attached to his body."

"I _would _like to know who this admirer is, so I can have a few _words _with the brave son of a bitch," Bakura mused. He looked at Malik again. "Would you find out which planet grows blue roses and has a store called 'Cynthia's Bridal Wear'?"

The blond nodded. "Surely."

Bakura hopped off the desk, feeling a bit better about the situation since he would soon find out whose face to bash in. He even managed a whistle as he strolled from the office.

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I expect this story to be pretty short, only about ten chapters. Myself, along with another talented writer, have other stories planned (and partially written) to follow after this one. It's funny; I only expected to write Target: You. Now, there will probably be at least five or six stories in this 'saga.' XD Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter!


	4. Chapter Four

Target: Destiny

Chapter Four

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A/N: Just a quick thank-you to all of you reviewers who have been with me a long time, from Target: You up until now. You know who you are. Seriously, thanks so much!

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Two weeks had passed, and no more secret admirer gifts had arrived for Anzu. Bakura was finally beginning to come away from his foul mood. Anzu did not seem to care whether or not she had a secret admirer, but she _had _found it rather amusing seeing Bakura so jealous. He wasn't even so angry when Yuugi shamelessly flirted with her. Anzu mused that she probably would not have found it half as funny if it had been Bakura with the secret admirer.

The entire palace was in an uproar for the princess's eighth birthday which was in a few days time. Ryoko wanted a large party with hundreds of people, but Bakura and Anzu finally talked her into a smaller gathering with their closer family friends and a few select diplomats from other planetsin total, about one hundred people, half of which were children, obviously.

To tend to preparations, the king and queen had left their children in the capable hands of their nursemaids for the past few days.

"Prince Bakura, please stop running!" a robust, older woman with dark blonde hair and shiny green eyes pleaded. The three-year-old continued his full-speed run through the palace corridors, rounding corners at a skid.

"Noo! No bath!" he wailed. His nursemaid sighed and leaned against the wall for a short break. She wiped her forearm across her face and promised herself she would start exercising; the little prince was simply a bundle of energy _especially _at bathtime.

A shrill scream resounded from the next corridor over. After her heart had firmly lodged itself in her throat, the nursemaid took off at a run again. She rounded the corner into the next corridor to find the prince flat on his behind, staring up at a man and woman.

The woman bent down to help the little boy up. "Are you okay, Baku?" She turned her attention to the man next to her. "Be careful where you pop in at, you dimwit!"

"I'm sorry, Baku!" the man apologized sheepishly.

The nursemaid swiftly approached the pair and took Baku into her arms. "Excuse me, but just who are you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Aunt Mai and Uncle Jou!" Baku responded in an obvious tone.

His nursemaid looked unappeased. A pop sounded and Yuugi appeared from thin air. He pocketed his ITD (instantaneous teleportation device) and straightened out his cape. He looked around at his comrades, Baku, and the nursemaid.

"Why so quiet?" he wondered. Baku glared up at the Earthling prince, having inherited a dislike for the man from his father (although as a toddler, he, of course, had no idea why his father didn't like the other man).

"Prince Yuugi," the nursemaid bobbed a curtsy, "are these people with you?"

Yuugi nervously looked at Mai and Jounouchi again. "Considering the long faces, I'm afraid to say yes."

The nursemaid seemed a bit relieved and nodded. "Excuse me then." She took hold of her charge's hand. "Come along for your bath, Prince Bakura!"

The toddler immediately started kicking and screaming. "No! Aunt Mai!" he cried, reaching out with his pudgy, little arms.

The blonde Earthling smiled sympathetically. "I'll see you after your bath, honey."

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"Ow!"

"Princess Ryoko," the seamstress chided, "if you would stop wiggling, you wouldn't get poked."

The little brunette crossed her arms over her chest with a pout. "Well, _you _stand up here for two hours without a potty break and let me tell _you _to stop wiggling!"

The seamstress rolled her eyes with a sigh and continued her prodding and pinning. She needed to get started on the princess's ball gown as soon as possible. She had other orders due by the same night as it was. She loved the business she received when an important gathering was scheduled, but she realized she wouldn't sleep until it was over.

"Okay," she finally said. "You're done."

"Woohoo!" Ryoko exclaimed, jumping down from the table.

"Lady Kaze?" the seamstress inquired, looking over at the waiting area of her studio. "You're next."

A young girl with ivory locks trailing to the back of her knees stood from her chair. Her icy blue eyes sparkled while her mouth formed a pout. "Aw, I don't wanna wear a dress!"

Her father pushed her over to the seamstress with a stern look on his face. "You're wearing one, and that's final!"

"But you'll look pretty in a dress!" Ryoko told her from her place in the doorway. Kaze turned and looked at her in surprise.

"Thank you, your highness," she replied quietly although she still did not want to wear something as girly as a gown. She could hardly fight in such constricting attire!

"Princess Ryoko!" a woman called, peeking her head into the room. "Are you done yet?"

The girl bobbed her head happily and ran out of the room, telling her nursemaid that she needed a potty break, and quick!

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"Lord Malik," Careen said politely, "I really just don't have time for you right now." She smiled sweetly before turning away to continue reading the fashion magazine resting across her lap.

"You're reading a magazine!" Malik replied, a bit offended yet amused at the same time. She looked up at him over her shoulder.

"Yes, but it is interesting."

He raised a brow and plucked the magazine from her hands, curious to see what was keeping the little minx from helping him polish his guns; after all, he thought gun-polishing was very fun indeed! He thumbed the page as his shoulders shook with silent laughter.

"'The female body: not a temple in the twenty-seventh century.' Eh?" He dropped the magazine back into her lap. "Whatever happened to the wanton woman who had never even heard of the word 'feminism?'"

"She put up with too much crap from men." She giggled and pointed at the opposite page of the feminist article. She winked, saying, "But actually, I was reading 'Make him wonder about your true feelings.'"

Malik rolled his eyes and shook his head. He stiffened when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He craned his neck to see who was behind him. An eager looking Bakura was smiling sinisterly at him; he cringed.

"Ah, Bakura! I was just looking for you!" Malik exclaimed anxiously. At Careen's skeptical glance, the blond man shook his head. "No, I wasn't. I've been avoiding you."

Bakura laughed and looked confused. "Avoiding me? Well, I want to know if you found out what I asked you. It's been two weeks!"

Malik cringed again, clearly not wanting to reveal what he had found out. When Bakura and Malik glanced at Careen at least five times each, she rose from her seat. "I just remembered I have some completely irrelevant something or other I have to do."

After Careen had left the room, Bakura rounded on his cousin. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Malik asked innocently.

"The gifts. Where." It wasn't a request.

"Now, Bakura, I want you to know that just because the flowers only grow on one planet, and this same planet just so happens to have a 'Cynthia's Bridal Wear' does not mean a _thing,_" Malik told him purposefully. When Bakura's glare increased, Malik shrank back.

He coughed, "Bleherthig."

"I didn't quite catch that," Bakura ground out. He clamped a hand down onto his cousin's shoulder roughly. Malik sighed, resigned. There was simply nothing for it; Bakura would find out one way or another.

"Earth."

Malik waited for the shouts and curses that were sure to come. When the Bakurian king merely turned around and walked out of the sunroom without a word, Malik was mystified and little more than nervous. After a moment of contemplation, he chased after his cousin.

Malik followed Bakura directly to the royal quarters where he stormed inside and was obviously not surprised to see Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Mai sitting in the main sitting room with his wife and two children. Malik stopped just inside the doorway warily. He did not like the look in Bakura's eyes.

Bakura swiftly approached Yuugi, not sparing anyone else a single look. He grabbed the Earth prince by the collar and hauled him off the couch and onto his feet.

"Bakura!" Anzu cried in shock, rising to her own feet.

"The _cute _little flowers and necklace I can tolerate, but a fucking wedding dress? You must be insane," Bakura hissed, a mere inch away from Yuugi's face. The younger man stared in astonishment.

"What the..." he trailed off, speechless. "What the hell are you talking about, Bakura?" he spat, pushing away from Bakura.

"Are you out of your mind?" Jounouchi shouted, coming to the defense of his friend. Bakura pointed a finger at him without looking in his direction.

"You, shut up." Jounouchi promptly closed his mouth when the Bakurian king's hand moved to rest atop the gun at his hip.

"Anzu," Bakura started, still glaring hatefully at Yuugi who returned the stare full-force, "your dear _friend _here has been the one sending you the psycho-gifts."

Anzu's eyes widened, and she looked at Yuugi in shock, almost in a daze. Her former fiancee glanced at her before returning his attention to rival. "I don't have any clue what you're talking about," he responded through clenched teeth.

"You can lie your way out of this, but one day you'll push me too far," Bakura told him quietly. "And when that day comes, you'd better watch your back because my sword will be stabbed through it."

Anzu gasped. "Bakura!" she yelled in horrified shock. She could do little more than stare at her husband open-mouthed while Yuugi stiffly exited the room, hesitantly followed by his two Earthling companions.

"I'll visit later," Mai whispered, looking fearfully from Bakura to Yuugi. She hurried out of the room after Jounouchi. Malik watched them leave before turning toward Anzu and Bakura who were still standing between the two couches, staring wordlessly at each other. Ryoko had a hand clamped over her younger brother's mouth to keep him from asking what was going on in his childish innocence; he was still trying to pry the hand off.

Malik slowly padded over to his cousin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Bakura, be careful. You have no proof, and we need their technology."

Bakura's eyes darted to Malik briefly, but otherwise showed no sign of acknowledgment to his cousin's warning. He realized his temper had once again gotten the better of him when he looked into his wife's enormous, blue eyes. "Anzu," he started, reaching a hand out to her. She backed away.

"Malik, please," she said, swatting her hand behind her in motion to the children. He understood and took Ryoko and Baku into the next room.

"You _threatened _my dear friend's life!" Anzu yelled once she was alone with Bakura.

"Don't yell," he said softly, trying to soothe her. "It's bad for the baby."

"What would be bad for the baby is if I beat the living hell out of you, and I assure you, that is the _only _thing stopping me!" she shot back vehemently. That got him angry.

"He is treading on dangerous waters, Anzu!" the king spat heatedly.

"You don't have any proof!"

Bakura shook his head. "I don't have it etched in stone, but close enough. He was your fiance, for God's sake! You almost married him!"

Anzu's features softened slightly. In her shock and anger, she had not realized that Yuugi's actions and her defense of them were slowly making her husband wary of their relationship. She replied, "I _almost _married him, but I _did _marry you." She stepped up to him and wrapped her slender arms around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder. He rested his chin on the top of her head.

Although no more words were exchanged about the incident, it was obviously not resoved.

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Not too much going on in this one though.


	5. Chapter Five

Target: Destiny

Chapter Five

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A/N: I've had pretty much every Yuugiou character guessed for Anzu's stalker (including Bakura himself!) I won't rule out any of the guesses except Bakura. It is definitely not him. XD

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In the early morning hours of Ryoko's birthday, Bakura awoke to the shrill sound of a muffled scream. Not fully in the realm of the conscious, he half-heartedly reached out to the side of him. When his hand met only the mattress, he was brought fully awake and bolted up in bed.

He leapt out of the bed and threw himself at the man holding his wife hostage. Anzu was tossed aside momentarily as the two men fell to the floor together. Upon hitting her head on the edge of the bed, the queen slipped to the floor, unconscious.

"You son of a bitch!" Bakura howled as he delivered a mean punch across the intruder's nose. He gripped the man by the throat and hauled him to his feet. He struggled to reach out towards his desk where his gun was kept, but it was too far to reach with the man thrashing in his arms.

He smashed the intruder's head into the hardwood floor, attempting to disorient him enough to reach out for his gun. The plan worked, and Bakura wasted no time in dashing to his drawer to retrieve his weapon. He whirled around, gun poised at the ready and finger on the trigger. However, before he could pull his finger the mere half an inch needed to fire the weapon, he dropped the gun in agony.

His chest must surely have burst into flames. He was so, so hot. He wondered briefly if he had been shot before he slumped to the ground, the darkness having overtaken him.

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Malik was shocked out of slumber as the girl at the side of his bed screamed and tugged on his arm. He quickly sat up in bed, shaking his head to rid it of any remaining sleepiness. He chanced a quick glance at the clock to see it was only four in the morning.

The continuous screaming from the girl next to him brought his attention back to her. He jumped out of bed and knelt down in front of her, gripping her shoulders.

"Ryoko? What is it?" he asked, thinking she may have had a nightmare; he wondered why she would not simply go to her mother or father. She screamed again and again which unnerved him. He shook her roughly.

"What, Ryoko? Oh, God, what!" he shouted, now truly terrified by her outburst. He looked up as five guards came running into his bedroom. He looked back at Ryoko and shook her again.

Finally, the eight year old focused on him and latched herself onto his chest. "Daddy's dead! Daddy's _dead!_"

Malik's heart stopped in his chest, and he let go of the princess.

"General, please come quick," one of the guards pleaded, worry clearly evident in his eyes.

"Stay with the princess," he commanded. The guards nodded dutifully.

"No!" Ryoko screamed, terrified. She started to cry and reached her arms up to Malik, silently begging him not to leave her. He quickly lifted her into his arms and ran out of the room, not wanting to even waste as little time needed to throw on a shirt.

He entered the royal quarters to see Bakura's pale body laying in the middle of the bedroom floor. Baku was sitting next to his father, silently staring at him. Anzu was nowhere to be found. He put Ryoko down and turned her to look at him.

Mustering up all calm he still had, he told her, "Ryoko, I need you to be Uncle Malik's big girl and go sit in your room with your brother."

With a sob, the eight year old nodded and went over to Baku. Taking the toddler by the hand, she led him out of their parents' bedroom. Malik signaled the five guards to follow the prince and princess. By now, several more guards had entered the room due to all of the yelling and running about.

Malik knelt down next to his cousin and felt his throat. He almost fell over in relief at the slight pulse emanating from Bakura's body.

"Medical ward. Now," he commanded, standing up and stepping away from Bakura. The guards immediately came forward and carefully lifted their king up. Malik began to search the room for, most importantly, Anzu, and also any clues possibly left behind, calling for more guards as he did.

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Anzu moaned in pain as she slowly opened her eyes. She rubbed the back of her sore head, wincing at the notable lump found there. She was certain she had been run over by a jet, or at the very least, an airmobile. The only relief she found was that there was no soreness present around her abdomen or lower back. That was no guarantee that her baby was safe, of course, but it was still something.

She struggled to her feet to better inspect her unfamiliar surroundings. She definitely remembered being dragged out of her bed by someone intent on kidnapping her in the middle of the night. Her scream had brought Bakura's attention to her predicament, but she had hit her head before she could see the outcome of the fight he had initiated. She bit her lip worriedly, wondering what had happened to her husband; he had obviously lost the fight since she had been abducted.

That bastard. She really did not believe he would ever stoop so low as to kidnap her!

She turned around slowly in a circle. The small bedroom she was kept in was dark at best and low-ceilinged. The only furniture present was, in fact, the small bed in a corner of the room which she had found herself in when she awoke. There was a bucket in another corner of the room, and she frowned, wondering if they intended her to relieve herself in something so primitive.

An extra weight at her throat brought her attention to a necklace which she had not been wearing when she was kidnapped. She was startled to find it was the sapphire necklace from her secret admirer. Further, she realized the gown she was wearing was not nearly as light as her nightgown.

She bit her tongue to keep from screaming in alarm as she looked down at herself, wearing the wedding dress from her secret admirer.

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"This is the worst birthday ever. I want a new one!" Ryoko cried as she stood next to the medical ward bed her father was resting in.

Just as the eight year old had been relieved with the news that her precious daddy was not dead, she had been told that her mother was missing. Baku sat silently next to his sister, looking down at his father. He had not said a word since the incident, nor did he show any facial expression.

Careen chewed on her sleeve anxiously while sitting on the opposite side of Bakura. Malik yanked the sleeve out of her mouth, and she glared at him. The four remained rigid in the room, hoping that Bakura would be okay, and fearful for the outcome of the doctors' diagnosis.

As if reading their thoughts, an alien doctor entered the room, clipboard in hand. She glanced at the uneasy audience before clearing her throat.

"Lord Malik," she started, smiling flirtatiously at him, "normally I would tell the loved ones to make preparations, but I've seen our king in worse condition, so we'll see what happens."

Ryoko started to cry, and Careen stood from her seat to comfort the girl. "Have a little tact, you halfwit!" she snapped at the doctor who at least had the grace to blush embarrassedly.

"My apologies, my lady," she murmured. Malik motioned for her to hurry up with her report, so she cleared her throat again. "He is running a high fever, but that's probably the most of our worries. He isn't responding to any of our medications though. We cannot say what may have happened to him to put him in this condition. He is not physically wounded in any way that we can see besides a few scrapes on his knuckles which may indicate where he punched someone."

The doctor's parting comment confirmed Malik's suspicions that Anzu did not simply decide to go on a trip; she had been kidnapped by whoever Bakura had punched and been rendered invalid by, not that Malik had doubted his own suspicions anyhow.

"Careen, perhaps you should go take a nap," Malik suggested irritably when he noticed her chewing on her sleeve again. She didn't seem to hear him, but she did look up when Mai and Jounouchi entered the room.

"We heard what happened," Mai said anxiously.

Malik opened his mouth to respond, but a moan from Bakura caused everyone present to hold their breath and lean over the bed hopefully. The king's face scrunched up as if in pain, and he attempted to lift a hand, which he could not.

"Daddy?" Ryoko whispered, placing her tiny hand over his larger one.

Bakura moaned again, mumbling, "That bastard. I can't believe Yuugi..." he trailed off inaudibly.

The shocked expressions on everyone's faces kept the room deathly silent for at least a minute. Finally, Mai blurted out, "He wouldn't kidnap Anzu!"

"Well, where is he, so that he may defend himself against my cousin's accusation?" Malik asked through gritted teeth. Mai looked away uncomfortably.

"He was called back to Earth for an important call," Jounouchi supplied quietly, looking down at the floor.

Malik nodded with both brows raised. "Convenient," he sneered. Calmly, he walked over to the door and poked his head out into the corridor. "Raptia! Get in here!" After a few seconds, a burly blond man rushed into the room and stood at attention.

"Yes, general?" he questioned.

Malik tilted his head thoughtfully and tapped a finger on his chin. "I want five nukejets to obliterate a remote city on Earth; I don't care which as long as it isn't the capital. And I want it done now. Yuugi will get the message after this."

The man hesitated and lowered his arm. "But sir, isn't that dangerous considering Queen Anzu could be anywhere?"

"Shame on you for eavesdropping!" Malik reprimanded as if he were speaking to a child. "And what's wrong with you? Didn't you read your Evil Overlord manual? You _never _hire a bunch of insolent soldiers to guard the hero's lover far away from you; you do it yourself. Now get going before I fire you."

"Sir, your intelligence astounds me, sir!" the man replied in awe, back at attention once more before darting out of the room.

Malik rolled his eyes before turning around to face the occupants still in the room. Jounouchi and Mai were staring at him with their mouths gaping open in horror. He merely lifted a brow and crossed his arms. "Well, aren't you going to go warn your precious prince?"

Jounouchi seemed to snap out of his stupor. He held Mai at arms-length. "It's too dangerous; you stay here." Before she could protest, he had disappeared back to Earth. Mai flopped down into a chair, apparently still in shock over what Malik had ordered his army to do.

Malik crossed the room over to where Careen still sat next to Bakura with Baku in her lap and Ryoko leaning into her side. The little boy was fast asleep, and Ryoko was struggling to hold up her drooping head. He knelt down next to the three. "Careen, why don't you take them back, so you all can sleep?" It was already late at night and they had all been stressfully awake since the early AM hours.

She nodded in agreement and stood up. Malik signaled five guards to follow them and then turned to Mai. "You, too," he commanded harshly. She thought about mouthing off to him, but instead just followed Careen and the prince and princess out of the room silently.

Malik turned back to the bed and walked over to Bakura's side. "Hang in there," he whispered to his cousin before leaving to see to his army.

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Ouch. What more can I say? Until next time...


	6. Chapter Six

Target: Destiny

Chapter Six

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Malik made his way through the palace corridors in the direction of the main military base. It was nearing ten o'clock at night, but servants were still bustling about, taking down party decorations that had gone unused. Malik mused that Ryoko had probably completely forgotten about her scheduled birthday party in the midst of the family crisis.

As Malik passed by a nobleman and his daughter, he heard the Bakurian grumble, "I bought you the dress for nothing."

The young girl with knee-length ivory locks looked up at him disapprovingly. "Father, the queen has been kidnapped."

Malik heard no more as he continued down the corridor, out of earshot. He wondered exactly how the servants fed news into the gossip wheel so quickly.

As he entered the main military base, engineers ran back and forth like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to prepare the nukejets for immediate take-off. The jets were being polished, checked out, loaded with one small nuclear bomb each, and filled with fuel all at once.

Malik glanced around irritably for his second-in-command. "Raptia!"

Within a few moments, the soldier was standing at attention in front of him. "Yes, sir?"

"Where are the pilots?" Malik asked. Raptia signaled five men standing off to the side, and they came forward, saluting the general.

Malik eyed each of the five men slowly and skeptically. Three blonds and two ivories, all blue-eyed. Each between 5'10" and 6'0" and muscular. Each very handsome. Malik leveled his gaze back at Raptia.

"Well, I hope their _talent _was taken into consideration," he stated sarcastically. His second-in-command blushed.

"Of course, sir. They are our best jetpilots," he responded, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. The pilots all turned their stares on him, and he blushed more, carefully avoiding their gazes.

"Inform me the minute they leave," Malik told Raptia before turning and leaving.

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"What!" Yuugi exclaimed in horror.

Jounouchi nodded somberly. "Yeah, Mai and I both heard him. He told them to blow up a city!"

Yuugi fell back into a chair next to his grandfather, his magenta eyes rounded in shock. He clutched the armrests and bit his lip. "Who? Where? When? _Why?_"

Jounouchi shifted uncomfortably under the pressure of so many questions he couldn't answer. "You don't know what all happened after you left." Yuugi looked up at him expectantly. Jounouchi cleared his throat. "Anzu was kidnapped."

Yuugi leapt off the chair and grabbed his best friend by the collar. "Who did it!" he yelled. Jounouchi pried the irate prince's fists off of his shirt and stepped back.

"That's the problem. Bakura was injured somehow when she was kidnapped, and when he came to in the medical ward, his exact words were, 'That bastard. I can't believe Yuugi.'"

"That asshole!" the Earthling prince exploded. "I didn't do it! I'd never! Ever!" He slammed his fist into the wall next to him, further emphasizing his point. Jounouchi eyed the crack in the wall and the blood dripping from Yuugi's fist to the floor.

"I know, Yuugi, but for Malik, his cousin's word is law."

Yuugi threw his hands up in the air. "His cousin is a piece of shit, jealous son of a bitch!" He stomped around the room for a minute before finally coming back to stand in front of his friend, slightly calmer. "Jou, you know I'd never kidnap Anzu. I wouldn't... wait a minute..." he trailed off, his eyes growing wide. "Oh, damn!"

He ran out of the room, leaving a baffled Jounouchi in his wake. The blond turned to Yuugi's grandfather. "Your majesty, what should we do?"

The man sighed wearily. "I am old and tired. We will wait until my grandson regains his senses, and then we will decide on a course of action."

Jounouchi bit his lip, not liking that answer very much, but nodded anyway.

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"Aunt Careen, why is daddy sleepin' a lot?" the three-year-old prince at her side asked, tilting his head and looking up at her. She looked down at him with a sigh.

"Daddy's just really tired right now. He'll wake up soon," she assured him. This seemed to satisfy Baku, for he returned to staring at his father silently. Careen sighed again and prayed that what she said was true, and that the king really would wake up.

Ryoko sat on Careen's other side, her hand inside her father's fist. At the moment she had awoken that morning, she had run into the medical ward, boldly telling all aristocrats to get out, so she could be alone with her dad. Seeing the girl's distress, they had complied quietly.

"Anzu," Bakura groaned, clenching his fist tighter. Ryoko gasped and removed her hand from his harsh grip. The three occupants in the room waited hopefully, but no other words or actions came from him.

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Anzu moaned and writhed in her sleep, tossing and turning with the blanket wrapped around her sweat-soaked body. The wedding dress itched her severely, but she could not remove it since she didn't have anything else to wear. She had ripped the necklace off and shattered it against the stone wall, however.

"Bakura," she cried, tears streaming from her tightly closed eyes. "No..."

In her mind, she clearly saw her husband and Careen. The woman was grinning at her like a cheshire cat as she stripped Bakura of his last piece of clothing. The vivacious blonde gently pushed the king down onto the bed, climbing over him slowly. She lowered herself onto him, moaning her pleasure as she did.

"No, stop," Anzu cried, trying to turn away from the scene.

"Unh," Bakura grunted as the woman moved herself upon him, tossing her head back with eyes closed, "you're so good, Careen."

"Stop it!" Anzu screamed. Her eyes flew open to greet the dark room which she had grown accustomed to the past day. She took a moment to steady her breathing before finally laughing at herself. "What was that all about?" she wondered lightly, although she could not fully shake the strange feeling which had settled over her.

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Two days later, Malik was in one of the meeting rooms with five of the foreign delegates who had been on Bakura for Ryoko's birthday party. They were discussing strategies for their next step after the nukepilots had completed their mission on Earth. The pilots were expected to reach Earth in mere hours.

"Well, we should wait to see what Earth will do after your pilots bomb that city. Speaking of which," the delegate paused cautiously, "is that action not too rash? After all, there are innocent people in the city that had nothing to do with Prince Yuugi's action."

Malik narrowed his eyes at the man. "Do not sympathize with the people who injured my cousin and kidnapped his wife."

The man gulped. "Of course, Lord Malik."

The door was opened by the guards, and Careen came jogging inside. "Lord Malik--"

"Stupid woman! Do not interrupt the men's meeting!" one of the delegates growled. Careen stopped mid-step and stared at him with wide, blue eyes. Malik slowly pushed back his chair and stood. He eyed the delegate calmly.

"Emperor Uwe, you are on Bakurian soil, and on this planet, men do not think themselves superior to women. You will never speak down to another woman on this planet again, and if you do, my foot will be promptly deposited in your ass before we throw you into the nearest spaceship and send you back to your little mudball of neanderthal assholes."

Emperor Uwe gasped in outrage, too stunned to reply to Malik's calm warning. The other four men in the room snickered behind their hands. Malik strode over to Careen.

"What is it?" he asked. Careen was still staring at her insulter, open-mouthed. She turned her gaze to Malik.

"You defended me!" she exclaimed with a sly smile. She said in a sing-song voice, "I think you_ love _me, you want to _hug_ me, you want to _marry _me."

He frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "What do you want, Careen," he snapped testily. She giggled one last time before sobering.

"Prince Yuugi is here, demanding an audience with you or else he says he'll suffocate King Bakura in his sleep," she told him with a small quirk to her mouth.

Malik nodded. "As expected." He turned to the delegates. "Gentlemen, adjourned for now."

The five men filed past the pair, and Emperor Uwe gave a parting sneer of "Probably going fuck the little wench." Careen tripped him on his way out.

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"Ah, Yuugi, how good to see you," Malik greeted sarcastically as he entered the medical ward with Careen at his back. "Haven't strangled Bakura yet, I hope."

Yuugi growled at his opponent's light tone. "How dare you? There are innocent people in whatever city you're planning to obliterate! Hell, _I'm _innocent!"

Malik's eyes narrowed dangerously. Careen wisely side-stepped the two men and made her way over to the bed where four guards were sitting with the prince and princess next to their father. She motioned for the guards to leave; they did not hide their eagerness to get out of the room before their general exploded.

"I trust my cousin over _you _any day! Feh, I should have you shot on the spot."

Yuugi stomped over to the bed and grabbed the unconscious king by his shirt collar. Careen gasped, trying to pull the prince away from Bakura. "You bastard! Wake up and tell the truth!" Yuugi growled.

"Give Anzu back and I'll call off the pilots!" Malik offered heatedly, yanking Yuugi away from Bakura and throwing him to the ground. The Earthling jumped back to his feet.

"What do I have to do to prove I don't have her!" he screamed, frustrated beyond belief.

"What's with the bloody shouting..." Bakura mumbled, cracking his eyes open a slit. The first thing the king saw was a terribly angry Yuugi launching himself at him again.

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Could Yuugi be telling the truth, or is he a big fat liar! XD We'll see!


	7. Chapter Seven

Target: Destiny

Chapter Seven

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A/N: Judging by one of the reviews I received, there seems to be some confusion on one thing. I addressed this issue in Target: You, but I realize some of you may not have read that story. Yuugi is **not **little Yuugi; he is Yami Yuugi. The reason he is not called Yami is because that is not his name. He is not called Atemu because I think that would only be fitting if this were an Egyptian fic. He is not called Yami Yuugi because there are no 'dark' and 'light' Yuugi(s); he is the only one in the story. (Think about it: would little Yuugi go around cussing and trying to beat Bakura to a pulp? XD)

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Anzu squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to block out the images; but, she couldn't block them out, and she couldn't wake up. Sweat dripped from her nose to smack her harshly on the cheek. She clenched her one blanket tightly in her hand.

"Yes, of course, I will!" Careen cried happily. She shook her head as if to slow her thoughts which were racing a hundred miles an hour. "But we'll have to wait the appropriate amount of time for Anzu to be gone."

"Yes, we don't want to create a scandal," Bakura agreed. He smashed his lips down onto his lover's, his lust once again coming to the surface. They had only to wait six months, and then it would be acceptable for him to re-marry, as long as Anzu didn't come back, of course.

"Create a scandal over what?" Malik asked suspiciously as he entered Bakura's office. His eyes widened slightly at seeing his cousin possessively holding Careen's hands.

"We're getting married!" Careen exclaimed.

"W-What?" Malik stuttered in disbelief, staring at his former mistress.

Anzu's heart went out to him. He looked hurt beyond anything she had ever seen. The blond turned his back on the pair, stiffening his back visibly.

"Anzu would be ashamed," he said simply before leaving the room. _Damn right! _Anzu would hug Malik if she could find her voice and move her legs. Why couldn't she run over to the group and slap some sense into her wayward husband and that little hussie?

"What's _his _problem?" Careen wondered quietly. Anzu gritted her teeth and clenched the blanket tighter.

"You stupid slut!" Anzu screamed though no sound came out. She stamped her foot irritably.

She paused in her temper tantrum when her children ran into the room. Ryoko looked distraught.

"Mommy's coming back!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her cheeks. Obviously, she had spoken with her Uncle Malik. _Yes, I'm coming back!_ Anzu thought desperately.

"Sweetie, mommy is gone, but I'll be your new mommy," Careen soothed, bending down to the eight-year-old's height. Ryoko pushed away from her with a snarl and pulled her little brother closer to her. "Get away from us!" She glared up at Bakura. "I hate you, daddy! I hate you!" With that, she stormed from the room with Baku in tow.

Anzu began to cry herself when she couldn't move to go to her daughter and son. _Damnit! _She screamed in frustration, but once again, her wails were heard by no one.

As soon as Ryoko and Baku were out of the room, yet another person entered. Anzu watched in despair as Yuugi made his way across the room to stand in front of Bakura and Careen. After a moment of silence, he extended his wrist.

"Best of luck then," he offered as Bakura gripped his wrist. _What! _Anzu thought incredulously. There was no way in hell this was happening!

Finally, an angel of mercy heard Anzu's desperation as she was tapped awake by a none-too-gentle finger on her shoulderblade. Her eyes shot open, and she looked around furiously. She nearly cried again upon realizing it had all been a horrible nightmare. She couldn't begin to imagine why she kept having these crazy dreams about Bakura and Careen, however.

After her eyes focused in the darkness, her gaze directed itself to the man who had awakened her. She realized that it was the very man who had kidnapped her.

"You!" she hollered. "How _dare _you?" She pushed herself up in the bed and clambered out of it. She threw out a fist, but her weight made her off-balance, and she missed making contact with his cheek.

The man tsked. "You should not treat your future husband with such disrespect."

Anzu's eyes bulged. "That's nuts! I won't marry you!" She realized how ridiculous she looked saying she wouldn't marry someone when she was wearing a wedding gown.

The man slowly sauntered up to her. She stood rooted to the spot, unsure of what to expect. He gently placed a hand on her swolen abdomen. "You _will_ marry me soon," he began threateningly, "or I won't be so kind." She gasped in horror and stepped away from him, shielding her baby protectively.

"If I wasn't so fat, I swear I'd kill you!" she spat frustratedly. He merely lifted a perfectly sculpted brow.

"_Kill _me? That's not very nice."

"And nothing says 'I'm Mr. Nice Guy' like kidnapping a random woman and forcing her to marry you," she said stubbornly.

"Ah, my dear, it was not random at all," he informed her, circling her like a vulture with a predatory smirk plastered across his face. Anzu shuddered.

"Why me?" she asked curiously.

"I guess I just like you," he replied lightly. He regarded her coolly. "I heard you mumbling in your sleep. You know, some say dreams are actually an insight into reality."

Anzu's heart pounded in her chest. She shook her head. "Bakura would never do that to me."

Her captor shrugged carelessly. "Okay, sure. From the way you were babbling, it seemed like no one cared you were gone."

Insulted, she swung around, this time making contact with his nose. He fell back a few feet and touched a finger tenderly to his nose.

His eyes narrowed and he stalked over to her. Before Anzu knew what was happening, he had yanked a collar out of his robe pocket and slapped it around her neck. She immediately went slack in his arms.

"What did you do to me?" she demanded, alarmed. He smiled maliciously down at her.

"I just made you a little more tolerable."

She tried with all her might to fight against him, but just like in her dream, she couldn't move an inch. Suddenly, her dream replayed in her mind.

_As soon as Ryoko and Baku were out of the room, yet another person entered. Anzu watched in despair as Yuugi made his way across the room to stand in front of Bakura and Careen. After a moment of silence, he extended his wrist._

_"Best of luck then," he offered as Bakura gripped his wrist._ _What! Anzu thought incredulously. There was no way in hell this was happening!_

Anzu looked up at her captor. While she was thinking, he had sufficiently bound her hands and tied her to a chain hanging from the ceiling. She did not think about this too much though. She stared intently at her kidnapper.

"You've been giving me those nightmares, haven't you?" she accused. She struggled to move her hands, but could not. Her body was completely immobile except for her head; everything below the collar was rendered useless.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he replied with raised brows.

Anzu smiled triumphantly. "You characterized everyone well, but you screwed up on one thing. My husband and Yuugi hate each other."

Her kidnapper's eyes widened, and she knew her suspicions had been correct. She did not know how, but he had been instigating her dreams, trying to screw up her line of thinking in regards to Bakura. Her captor had probably never seen Bakura and Yuugi together except one time when they were in the same room. _He must have assumed they were friends!_

Anzu's happiness was overwhelming. There was no way her nightmares could be true! They were made up by her kidnapper! Without another word, the man stiffly exited the room, slamming the door shut behind him and locking it.

"Damnit," she muttered, tilting her head up to eye the chain distastefully. "Now I'm stuck like this."

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Bakura's half-lidded gaze barely registered Yuugi's figure before the prince had hauled him up into a sitting position. Bakura's head drooped exhaustedly while Yuugi shook him roughly.

"Bakura, you slimeball! Tell them the truth! Tell them I didn't kidnap Anzu!" Yuugi demanded.

"Yuugi didn't kidnap Anzu," Bakura mumbled obediently. Yuugi released his adversary in surprise. Unable to hold himself up, the king fell back into the bed, knocking his skull on the headboard. He groaned painfully.

"That was really easy," Yuugi marveled, glancing at Bakura uneasily. Malik stepped up behind Yuugi.

"What the hell, Bakura! You said he did!"

Bakura scooted his way up to a sitting position against the headboard, rubbing the back of his throbbing head. With blurry vision, his eyes scanned the room. His children were sitting with Careen and Lady Mai at his side. His cousin was standing next to Yuugi and Jounouchi on the opposite side. He was disheartened to find Anzu missing.

"What I _said _was 'I can't believe Yuugi didn't do it,'" Bakura replied staunchly. The room was silent for a moment as everyone took in the news. Malik's eyes narrowed.

"Get out of the way, Yuugi, so I can kill him," he growled as he pushed the Earthling prince aside and gripped Bakura by the shirt collar.

"You jerk! You did not include 'didn't do it' in your little speal! At least not that anyone could hear!" Bakura's head bobbled back and forth as Malik shook him with every word. Yuugi yanked Malik's arms away from Bakura.

"If anyone has the right to kill him, it's me! Move aside!" the prince ranted.

"All right, hold on, you two," Careen said, stepping into the fray. "It was just an honest misunderstanding!" At the two men's furious gazes, she shrank back.

"Bakura!" Yuugi continued heatedly, "Your stupid cousin was going to blow up my planet!"

"Not the whole planet!" Malik defended. "Just one measley city!"

Bakura groaned and threw his pillow over his face, willing himself to fall back into unconsciousness. The pillow was yanked off of him, and two angry faces loomed over him.

"Well?" Yuugi demanded.

Bakura looked at all the occupants of the room and sighed. "Lady Mai, get me some painkiller. Jounouchi, get me a tele-comm. Ryoko and Baku, come here. Careen, don't let them kill each other if I black out again. Malik, don't blow up anything. Yuugi... just go away."

Everyone seemed half-way satisfied. Bakura was thankful. His kids climbed up onto the bed with him, and Jounouchi and Mai left the room to do as requested.

Yuugi turned to Malik. "You owe me a huge apology."

"Just because you're owed one doesn't mean you're getting one," Malik replied stubbornly.

"What!" Yuugi bellowed.

Bakura cleared his throat before the pair could get going again. "Malik, shouldn't you tell them not to blow up the city?"

Malik's face paled considerably. "Oh, shit." With that, he dashed out of the room. Yuugi stared after him, alarmed.

Jounouchi and Mai re-entered the room with medicine and a tele-comm. "Why was he in such a rush?" Mai wondered aloud.

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Malik ran through the corridors at break-neck speed, pushing past aristocrats and servants alike. The nukejets were due to arrive on Earth and carry out their mission at any minute now. Only himself and Bakura had the information necessary to stop them.

Bakurian nukejet pilots were some of the most top-trained military officers the army had. While Bakura did not contain very many aircrafts for the military, the few the planet did have were deadly. After a mission had been assigned and the pilots had left, one could not simply call them and tell them to stop.

After all, anybody could imitate Malik or Bakura, or even the pilot's own child, and tell them to stop the attack. The pilots were highly trained to ignore any calling off except a very specific computerized code. If Malik did not get to the main military base in time to enter the code, there would be a missing city on Earth. He cursed under his breath.

Malik's lungs were screaming for air when he reached the base, but he did not pause. He entered the base, running directly to the communications ward. "Get out of the way!" he yelled. Soldiers leapt aside as their general rushed past them and up to the communications console. The men at the console fell out of their chairs in their haste to get out of Malik's way.

Malik's fingers flew across the keypad, entering digits and letters which he thankfully knew from memory. He did not know if he was too late, but he waited with panicked silence after the code was transmitted.

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On Earth, a little boy and girl stared up at the sky as five enormous birds flew lower and lower over their city.

"Wow, Bobby! Look at those big birds!" the girl exclaimed in awe.

"Those aren't birds; they're geese!" the boy corrected.

"Same thing," the girl responded with a sniff.

A teenaged boy stepped up next to his siblings. "Actually, they're jets. I wonder where from though?"

The five nukejets flew down to a nervously low hover over the city before zooming back skyward, taking a quarter-turn, and zipping back the way they had come. The children screamed their excitement and waved to the disappearing jets.

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Malik fell back into a chair with relief. Just before the bombs had been dropped, the pilots had received the code which called off their attacks. They were on their way back to Bakura with no damage reported.

_Thank goodness_, he sighed inwardly. He opened his eyes to see several soldiers standing over him with confused and worried expressions on their faces. He waved them off. "Back to work!"

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W00t! Fast update! Next chapter we find out who the kidnapped is. Heehee... the tension mounts. XD


	8. Chapter Eight

Target: Destiny

Chapter Eight

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A/N: Mika-- Chisara is still around. In this chapter, you'll see why she hasn't been mentioned the past few chapters. -Grin- Honestly, I couldn't possibly forget my favorite character! XD

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Malik entered the medical ward room Bakura was in with his hands held out before him. "Don't worry, guys, it's _okay_," he said confidently. Everyone stared at him, unimpressed.

"What's okay?" Ryoko asked innocently. Yuugi snorted disdainfully.

"Your idiocy stuns even the most patient of people," he told Malik and turned away.

Malik growled under his breath. "You want another go, porcupine-head?"

Yuugi whipped his head around at the provocation. He stalked up to Malik angrily. "That's just fine with me, you girly-looking _Tevinelivian_." The clearly-implied insult on Malik's heritage caused the room to fall deathly silent as everyone present waited for the general's reply.

"Okay, midget. Let me bang your head into the wall, so we can see how many times it takes to flatten your hair to a normal height," he suggested. The Earth prince looked about ready to pounce, so Bakura cleared his throat.

"Malik, do not try to steal from me the title of who hates Yuugi most. Yuugi, your hair wouldn't flatten anyway, so don't take the bait. Now, where is the tele-comm I asked for?"

Jounouchi stepped up to the bed and handed it to him. Malik leaned over the bed curiously to see which number Bakura was typing into the interface. "Who are you calling?" he wondered.

"The past twenty minutes I've been awake, I have not seen Anzu. Seeing as someone was trying to kidnap her when I received this injury, one can easily come to the conclusion that she has, indeed, been kidnapped. Therefore, who else could I be calling besides Seto Kaiba?"

The calm in his voice confused nearly everyone present. Malik scratched his head. "Why are you calling him then?"

"Because he kidnapped Anzu, you dolt!" Yuugi snapped as if it were obvious.

Silence fell over the room once more. The quiet beeping of the tele-comm as it tried to connect was the only sound penetrating the suddenly stifling room.

"Bah, busy," Bakura complained, setting the handheld device down for the moment. He looked around, slightly surprised. "You all look like stunned mullets. Except dumb-dumb there."

Yuugi glared at Bakura, knowing the insult was directed at him even though the Bakurian king had not looked at him nor said his name. He promised himself that he was going to have to kick Bakura's ass one of these days.

Malik was the first to recover his voice. He spoke slowly as if he was still in disbelief, "You mean to tell me the Prime Minister of Ascenia, Seto Kaiba, who has not been anywhere near Anzu in _eight years,_ is obsessed with her and has kidnapped her?"

"No, no, Malik," Yuugi responded snottily. "He means to tell you he made the entire thing up just for kicks and is currently hiding his wife in a broom closet."

Malik growled and looked as if he wanted to beat Yuugi to a pulp right there, even in front of the children. Mai raised her hands in an annoyed manner.

"Look, can we go for five minutes without you two getting into a fight?" she demanded angrily. Careen nodded her agreement with rolled eyes.

Malik and Yuugi said not another word to each other and sat back down in chairs on opposite sides of the room. Bakura eyed the two of them momentarily. "Yuugi, how did _you _know it was Kaiba?" he wondered aloud. Everyone in the room was obviously curious, as well, for they turned and stared at the Prince of Earth expectantly.

"Well, I was called back to Earth for an 'emergency call,'" Yuugi began. "My grandfather's health is failing these past few years, and he is not in the condition to handle any emergencies. So anyway, I get back to Earth, and it's Seto Kaiba who called. I comm him back and the first words out of his mouth are 'Help us take out Bakura' meaning the planet," he added, seeing Bakura's insulted expression. "Naturally, I'm shocked and ask him what his reasoning is for going against his contract of alliance and trade. All he would tell me was 'The king is going to try to steal something from me.'"

"He stole her first!" Bakura cut in heatedly.

Yuugi continued, "Of course, I don't have any problem throwing Bakura here to the wolves, but Anzu would be very sad," he said, not noticing the vein throbbing angrily in the Bakurian king's forehead. "So, I told the Prime Minister that he was insane, and that Earth would not help him in any way. After I heard Anzu was kidnapped, the pieces of the puzzle came together easily."

Jounouchi narrowed his eyes. "That son of a bitch-"

"Language!" Careen snapped, covering Ryoko and Baku's ears.

"-He's going to get what's coming to him."

Mai sighed disgustedly. "Honestly, what is with you men: destroy the planet, and then negotiate with whatever rocks may be left?"

Four pairs of eyes turned to her simultaneously. "He took Anzu!" all of the men present shouted. The blonde held her hands up defensively.

"I love Anzu just as much as the rest of you, but you cannot destroy a planet over this. _Hello! _Anzu is on the planet anyway!" she pressed on.

"Well, can't we destroy it after we get her off?" Malik asked reasonably.

"No! That would make you all _murderers!_" Careen intervened. The four men downcasted their eyes, clearly disappointed. Mai and Careen sighed and shook their heads.

Bakura picked up the tele-comm and tried to contact Seto Kaiba again. This time, he connected through to a servant who went to fetch the Prime Minister.

"I'm busy!" Seto barked in the background. The servant must have groveled at his feet because a few moments later, Seto's livid face appeared on the screen. His expression softened considerably the second he realized who his caller was. He cleared his throat several times before speaking.

"What can I do for you, King Bakura?" he asked demurely. Bakura swatted away Malik's hand as he tried to grab the tele-comm to give Seto a good, verbal beating.

"Mr. Kaiba, tell your planetary neighbors to get out their cameras," Bakura said coolly. Seto Kaiba lifted a delicate brow.

"Pray tell, why would they need their cameras?" he asked, uninterestedly. Bakura smiled devilishly.

"Because after we get Anzu off of the mudball commonly called Ascenia, the explosion created when it's blown up will create one hell of a fireworks show."

"Yeah, bitch," Malik chimed in, "we're breakin' out the sparklers."

Bakura turned the tele-comm away, looking pointedly at Malik. His cousin sheepishly sat down again. The ivory-haired king returned the tele-comm to face him again only to see the line was dead; Seto had hung up. It was no matter. The point had been made, and Seto knew he could not deny any accusation against him. Actually, he had not seemed to want to. He had openly defied the Bakurian empire which brought with it the fury of all allied planets. Bakura wondered what gave Seto Kaiba so much confidence.

Malik leaned over Bakura's shoulder. He clucked his tongue. "Well, how fucking rude! He didn't even have the decency to say good-bye!"

"Quit cussing!" Careen yelled, whacking Malik on the back of the head.

"Someone get me out of the bed," Bakura instructed. Everyone hesitated, knowing he was still injured. "Come on, come on, time's a-wasting!"

Cautiously, Malik helped his cousin sit up and then step out of the bed. Bakura retrieved his cape from the bedside table and wrapped it around his shoulders, securing it in front. He turned to face the group.

"Okay," he started, gathering his thoughts and ignoring his throbbing head. "Here's the plan. Malik, contact Lasyupia because we'll need their great numbers. Yuugi, get your air force ready. I need to plot the coordinates to see how long it will take to get to Ascenia."

"Rot in hell, Bakura."

Everyone turned to stare at Yuugi. His arms were crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face. Jounouchi placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, asking him what was wrong.

"There's no way Earth is helping you after the way _you _accused me and the way _he _reacted," Yuugi said, staring pointedly at both Bakura and Malik.

"You're just going to leave Anzu hanging?" Malik demanded. Yuugi reached into his pocket and pulled out his IT device.

"I won't help you," he repeated before pressing a button on the device and disappearing. Ryoko and Baku stared at the spot he had just been standing in before slowly looking up at their seething father.

"Well, shit," Careen murmured.

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"Oh, I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, diddley dee. There they are, all standing in a row, bum bum bum. Big ones, small ones, some as big as Kaiba's head. Give 'em a twist, a flick of the wrist. Kaiba, you're fucking dead!"

Anzu groaned. _I'm so bored, I've started rhyming._ She flopped her head over to rest on her other shoulder. As the only part of her body which would still move, she refused to let her head rest around idly. Besides, moving her head back and forth gave her something to do. She had no clue how many hours had passed since she had last seen any form of life, and the cabin fever was wearing on her nerves. Hell, she'd welcome Seto Kaiba at this point.

"Miss Susie had a steamboat. The steamboat had a bell. Miss Susie went to Heaven. The steamboat went to hello, operator. Please give me number nine. And if you disconnect me, I'll kick you from behind the 'frigerator, there was a piece of glass. Miss Susie sat upon it and cut her big, fat--"

"Bored, are we?"

Anzu looked up sharply. Seto Kaiba was grinning at her, obviously quite amused. Anzu sneered at him. "Well, I'd twiddle my thumbs, but that isn't exactly possible right now."

He merely smiled at her silently. A strange purple vortex was alight behind him, sparkling mysteriously. It whirled around like a storm cloud. Anzu's eyes widened slightly, and she motioned her head in his direction.

"There's something behind you."

"Yes, it's a transportation vortex. Nothing to worry your pretty, little head over," he responded.

Anzu frowned. "Actually, I was talking about the cat that's about to eat you."

Before Seto could turn around, he was tackled to the ground by a great amount of weight. He howled in pain when sharp fangs sank into his arm. He turned around, struggling to throw the cat off of him. Eventually, he cursed foully and threw his free hand out at the cat, screaming a short incantation.

Immediately, the cat was thrown off of him and skidded across the floor a few feet. "Chisara!" Anzu cried, willing her body to move; it would not.

Grasping his bleeding arm, Seto scrambled to his feet and stomped over to the panther. He yanked the cat up by the scruff of its neck. Anzu was horrified to see her cat was now a five-pound kitten again. She shrieked in shock. Chisara growled and slapped around with her paws, but only hit air as her arm span was merely a foot now.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Seto wondered angrily, staring broodily at the kitten squirming in his grip. "Guess she came through the vortex when I kidnapped you," he informed Anzu curtly. He clearly recognized the cat as the same one Anzu had had with her when she had traveled to Ascenia with then-Prince Bakura.

"I'm going to kill you," he told Chisara after examining his wounded arm.

"No!" Anzu screamed, trying desperately to pull at the chains. Her body still would not budge. Seto looked over at her.

"Oh, fine, keep the damned furball," he said hotly. He tossed the cat at her. Anzu gasped, but the kitten expertly landed on her feet before padding over to her owner. Chisara meowed up at Anzu, slapping her paw at the carpeted floor. Anzu's expression softened; she knew her beloved pet must be wondering why her owner looks so big.

"Besides," Seto added, "I want you to be a happy bride, and you'll be angry with me if I hurt your cat."

Anzu wanted to inch away from him. He looked sincere. "You have problems," she whispered.

He didn't answer, but instead walked over to her, his robe swishing behind him elegantly. He cupped her chin and lowered his lips to hers. Anzu stiffened, and she tossed her head from side to side. His lips were not soft and full like Bakura's. She did not get 'butterflies' in her stomach at Seto's touch. She tightened her lips into a line when the Prime Minister pulled away from her.

"You taste so good," he commented, licking his lips. Anzu felt ill. "I suspect your husband will be here sometime to try to rescue you. It's too bad I'll kill him before you get to see him again."

He left Anzu then, knowing the sense of fear and heartache he left instilled within her. She looked down where Chisara was still sitting, pawing at her dangling feet. "I'm so sorry, baby," she whispered sadly. The kitten tilted her head and meowed. The sound was no longer deep and rumbling, but rather high-pitched. "I'm glad I have a friend now though."

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There you go. You know who the kidnapper is now. Seto. GASP, how could I! XD


	9. Chapter Nine

Target: Destiny

Chapter Nine

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Bakura paused and supported himself against the wall. Though he hung his head to hide it, Malik could see the rapid rise and fall of Bakura's chest due to his labored breathing. "You should be in bed."

Bakura looked up then. "If I die before I get to kill Seto Kaiba, I swear I will make the devil so miserable, he will be dying to kick me out of hell." He pushed himself away from the wall, a new determination in his step. Malik smiled to himself and followed a few steps behind his cousin in the direction of a tele-comm-ready meeting room.

They would contact the Lasyupians and ask for aid against Ascenia. Jounouchi had teleported back to Earth, apparently to try and soothe things over with the prince. Bakura didn't care. Yuugi could take a flying jump off the highest cliff. While Earth had the best air force in the BA, there were other planets allied with planet Bakura which still had good air forces.

Bakura had told Careen and Mai to go back to the royal quarters with the prince and princess and stay there until further notice. Of course, both women had objected. Malik smiled as he remembered the conversation.

_"Take Baku and Ryoko back to their rooms and stay there with them until we come back, both of you," Bakura commanded gently._

_"No! We're staying with you two!" Careen replied forcefully. Malik shook his head sternly._

_"No, you are not. Besides, we're going blow up a planet. You don't want to see that, do you?"_

_Mai gasped. "You can't do that!"_

_"Won't it be pretty though," Malik commented casually. His cousin grinned._

_"You're going to hell," Careen told Malik disapprovingly._

_He looked over at Bakura with a frown. "I'm going to hell."_

_The king nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, well, you did your best."_

Malik smirked to himself. He had only been messing with her; they had no intention of blowing up the planet now. Anger caused rash decisions, but they had both calmed enough to go to plan B: get Anzu and beat the hell out of Kaiba; anyone who died in the process would be caused by their own stupidity of getting in the way. After all, shoot first, talk later, so to speak, was not exactly a fool-proof plan.

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"Please, Prime Minister, may I have her?" the little insect-like man hissed pleadingly, eyeing Anzu hungrily. "Just once. I promise not to break her." He trailed a spindly finger down Anzu's arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps. Chisara provided her best growl in the man's direction, but the kitten obviously wasn't daunting anymore. He adjusted his big bug-eye glasses with his other hand, waiting for Seto's reply.

"No, Haga, you may _not_," Seto snapped irritably, batting the small man's hand away.

"Yeah, you may _not_," Anzu added forcefully, spitting on the shorter man. He looked as if he wanted to retaliate, but Seto's mocking laughter was apparently not encouraging, so he merely slithered out of the room.

"So, Seto, have you decided yet when you're going to release me?" Anzu asked casually. The Prime Minister shrugged, examining his nails.

"Actually, I figured I would release you in 2730."

"You're going to release me when I'm nearly ninety. That's cute," she said flatly. He smirked at her. After a moment of studying her, he left the room through his ever-handy vortex portal. Who needs doors anyway.

Mere seconds after Seto Kaiba had left Anzu and Chisara alone, another portal vortex opened up. "Yes, you forgot to take off my collar. So glad you remembered," she said, not expecting him to remove the collar in the very least.

After a moment, a figure stepped through the void whom she had never seen before. She stared at the young boy curiously. He looked around for a few seconds before focusing his attention on her. "If you are looking for Seto Kaiba, he has left," she informed the boy. He didn't respond, merely stared at her.

"Who are you?" he finally asked quietly, glancing down at Chisara.

"I'm Anzu. And you?"

He straightened his back. "I am Apprentice Minister Mokuba Kaiba of Ascenia, direct descendent of god Chi-shun, younger brother to Prime Minister Seto Kaiba."

Anzu smiled slightly. "That's quite a long name you've got there. Mind if I just call you Mokuba?"

He nodded curtly. "That will be acceptable. Don't _you _have a title?" he asked, somewhat condescendingly.

Anzu nodded her head to the other side, her frustrated attempt at a shrug since her shoulders were still rendered useless by the collar. "I suppose I do, if you think it is necessary to hear."

The boy, whom appeared to be around twelve or thirteen, tossed his long, black hair over his shoulder. "I do, so that I can determine whether to be polite or rude to you."

Anzu laughed at that, merely because he seemed quite serious. "Well then, I guess my title would be Former Lady Anzu Mazaki of Earth, daughter of Lord and Lady Mazaki, Count and Countess of Rhu, current Queen of Bakura."

Mokuba's chin dropped slightly. "You're a queen?" he repeated. She nodded. "Why are you chained up then?"

"Your brother just likes me."

He lifted a brow. "I don't believe my big brother would chain a woman up when she is pregnant."

Anzu could tell that the boy obviously looked up to his brother, so she did not say anything else. No matter her predicament, she didn't want to ruin the boy's false illusion of his brother. It wasn't like the child could help her anyway. After another moment of Mokuba eyeing the chain Anzu was hanging from, he awkwardly turned to leave through the portal he had come through.

"Mokuba," she called after him. "Do you think you could bring my cat something to eat?"

"I..." he paused, wondering if he should assist her in any way. "Yes, I will." Anzu smiled, and he left.

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"Well, if you weren't such an idiot, we'd be there in half a second!" Bakura yelled, holding his hand against his forehead to still the throbbing his injury was bestowing upon him.

"Don't blame it on me! You're the one who passed out before finishing your damn sentence!" Malik fired back defensively.

"Okay, okay," Bakura conceded, holding his hands up. "Let's just think for a minute."

Aisu, a frozen planet in the same solar system as Bakura, could, of course, be on Bakura within mere hours to head to Ascenia at the same time. Unfortunately, it would take the Lasyupians, two week's distance from Bakura, a week to reach Ascenia, not including the day they would need to perform their religious rituals which were required before going into battle.

The Bakurians were not a very religious peoples--only a handful of temples existed on the planet, and they all belonged to foreign gods. Anzu was adamant about going to the Earth God's temple once per week with Ryoko and Baku. Bakura joined her, but wasn't very active about it. The Lasyupians, on the other hand, performed very exact rituals which had to be perfect before they would 'accept their gods' blessings for battle.'

The extra week for the Lasyupians was not even the bad news, however. From Bakura, it would take the Bakurians and Aisulings three full weeks to reach Ascenia, and that was if no problems occured in transit. King Bakura was not pleased.

"Damnit, I wish we had access to Earth's IT devices," Bakura mused, clenching his hand into a fist on the table.

"King Bakura," the Aisuling president began, "our air force will leave immediately and reach Bakura by nightfall." Bakura nodded in consent, and the snow-skinned, icy blue-eyed man disappeared from his screen.

"Is there no faster way?" the Lasyupian king asked, concerned for his wife's friend, Queen Anzu. He pushed his long, black hair behind his equally-dark shoulder.

Bakura shook his head, clearly distraught. "No."

"We will meet you in Ascenia's southern atmosphere in three weeks time then," the king said, saluting. Bakura returned the salute before swinging around in his chair to stare broodily at the wall.

"It's all right, Bakura," Malik consoled. "We'll get to her, and Seto Kaiba will pay for what he's done."

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"Thank you, Mokuba," Anzu said as the boy set a bowl of meat down in front of Chisara. The kitten pawed at the meat, assuring herself it was dead, before taking a bite.

"My brother said you're tied up because you refused to marry him."

Anzu stared at the ebony-haired boy momentarily. "I refused to marry him because I'm _already _married."

"You are?" he asked, confused. Apparently, Seto had conveniently forgotten to divulge that addition of information.

"Yes, and I have children," Anzu replied.

"Children you had yourself?" he asked. He looked as if he were in awe of the notion. Anzu laughed slightly.

"Yes, children I had myself. Just like your parents had you and your brother."

He shrugged. "I don't have parents. I was created by my brother six years ago."

Anzu's eyes widened. "Created?" she stuttered out finally.

"Yep!" he replied, bending down to pet Chisara as she gnawed on her meat arrayment.

"How did he do that? _Why? _You certainly look older than six," she marveled.

"I was already six when he made me 'cause he didn't want to potty-train me or anything," he told her, laughing when the kitten turned her gnawing to his hand. "When the Prime Minister died, my brother wanted an advisor he could trust. So, he made me, and that's it!"

"So, he's not your real brother then?" she inquired, still in shock.

"Yes, he is!" Mokuba replied forcefully.

"Of course, he is," Anzu quickly apologized, not wanting to hurt the young boy's feelings. She silently wondered if he was a human, and how Seto Kaiba had created him. With magic, no doubt.

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Later that night, the Bakurians and Aisulings sat in the courtyard, watching Ryoko and Baku beat each other up and discussing the upcoming war. Ryoko had discovered earlier that afternoon that Chisara was missing and has been hysterical with grief at the prospect of losing her mother and pet. Bakura had assured his daughter that the cat was simply wandering around the palace and had brought Ryoko and Baku out to play to help get their minds off of the most recent crisis. In actuality, he could not imagine where the panther could be. It was just one more problem to add to the list. Anzu would be just as hysterical as Ryoko when she found out her beloved pet was missing. Bakura sighed. The only good event of the day was that he was feeling much better as far as injuries went.

"Thank you for harboring my daughters during the war. I am sure the battle itself will not take long once we arrive, but since my wife's passing, I do not like to leave my daughters alone on Aisu," the Aisuling president told Bakura.

"It is our pleasure to harbor your three daughters," Malik assured the president diplomatically. The three daughters were, in fact, triplets; there were no visible differences in their long, sky blue hair and eyes, and stark-white skin. They were slightly on the plump side, and their coloring was extreme even compared to the pale-colored Bakurians, but they were still remotely decent-looking. Although they were seemingly innocent, their carriage changed drastically as soon as their father stood to fetch himself a drink from a servant at the other side of the courtyard.

"It is so hot on this planet though," one of them said, eyeing Malik seductively. "I wish our clothing did not cover us as much."

Careen rolled her eyes. "Sweetie, if your clothing covered you any less, you would not be wearing any."

Mai snorted, silently agreeing and eyeing the three girls with disdain. One of the other Aisuling daughters turned a predatory gaze on Careen before looking away and commenting to her sister, "Of course, she would say that considering her prude-ish dress."

Careen glanced down at her long-sleeved dress for a moment before looking back up at the girls. "This is the style on Bakura," she informed them curtly. "Unfortunately for you, Aisu's fashion cannot do much to hide the fact that you apparently were kicked in the face by a cow before you ate it."

Mai burst into laughter, not even trying to hide it from the three daughters whose mouths were agape in shock. "How dare you!" one of them sputtered.

Bakura leaned toward Malik. "Congratulations. Your woman is capable of a good burn." Careen turned furiously toward the two men.

"He doesn't have women, only whores!" she snapped before stalking off. Mai glared at Bakura and Malik disapprovingly.

"Why is she mad at me when I didn't do anything?" Malik wondered before standing to go after Careen.

Bakura tilted his head back and stared at the dimming sky, wondering if fate was still punishing him for his criminal past.

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Finals week. I've been busy. I haven't studied very much, but I felt I needed to get this chapter up since it's been two weeks. Wah, everyone pray for me this week because things aren't looking too good. XD


	10. Chapter Ten

Target: Destiny

Chapter Ten

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A/N: Mika- I, too, found it to be as amusing as hell to make Seto magical considering how much he hates magic in the manga. XD

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"No, no, no!" Yuugi yelled adamantly. "I won't!" He tapped his foot impatiently on the marble dais his throne was resting on. His arms were crossed stiffly as he looked away. His grandfather eyed him silently from his place on the throne next to Yuugi.

"You're just going to leave Anzu hanging high and dry?" Jounouchi shot back angrily. He stomped up the steps of the dais and over to stand in front of Yuugi's line of vision. The prince stubbornly looked the other way.

"She's got her highly intelligent husband who knows _everything._ Let _him _rescue her, and his little dog, Malik, too."

Jounouchi glared at his friend's sarcastic remark. "You are being an asshole, I hope you know."

Yuugi scowled at him then. "If I'm being an asshole, then it's because I've been around Bakura too much," he spat. "After all, he wrote the damn instruction manual for assholes."

"Yes, Bakura is an arrogant son of a bitch. That isn't _Anzu's _fault!" Jounouchi maintained. Yuugi's hard stare was unrelenting, and Jounouchi sighed. "Fine, I just thought you cared about her."

Jounouchi called up the coordinates of Bakura into his IT device and slammed his thumb down on the button, a little harder than necessary. After he had disappeared from the room, Yuugi stormed down the dais and out of the throne room.

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"I'm running out of songs," Anzu mused to herself. _How many days have I been here?_ she wondered. She figured almost a week. She sarcastically wondered if Bakura planned on showing up anytime soon. Seto had said her husband was coming for her, but he had not been kind enough to leave an estimated time of arrival.

"I'm hungry, too," Anzu whispered at the feel of her baby's kick.

"Here."

Anzu would have jumped three feet had she been able to. Mokuba's voice behind her scared the living daylights out of her; she grudgingly allowed that she was not nearly as in tune with her surroundings as she had been in her bounty hunting days.

When the young boy stepped around to stand in front of her, he was holding a plate of vegetables in his hand. Anzu smiled.

"I'm grateful, but you'll have to feed me," she told him. He did not seem thrilled at the prospect.

"I'll let you down," he replied after a moment of eyeing the food, his fingers, and her mouth. Anzu shook her head.

"No, you musn't. He'll be very mad if he catches you letting me down," she warned.

He paused, considering her words. Finally, he threw his hand out to the side, and Anzu felt the chains begin to unlock around her wrists. The chain cuffs snapped off of her wrists, and she felt herself falling. Without being able to move, she would fall into a heap; she could not shield her abdomen.

"No, wait--!"

Just as gravity began to pull her down, Mokuba's hand flew out in front of him again, and Anzu found herself suspended in mid-air. Slowly, he lowered his hand, and Anzu descended gently to the cool, marble floor.

"I know what that collar is," he said. He groaned. "So, I _still _have to feed you." She stifled a giggle at his apparent unwillingness. He sat down next to her on the floor. She stay slumped against the wall, unable to do anything else.

"Oh, I haven't felt my arms for days. It feels wonderful to put them down," she moaned gratefully. Chisara began to purr, climbing up into her lap. Anzu wished she could pet her beloved panther.

Mokuba picked up her hand and squeezed her fingers around one of the vegetables, then raised her hand to her mouth for her. She chewed quickly and gratefully, not paying any heed to the ever-tasteless food of Ascenia. Her embarrassment over him having to move her arm didn't effect her too much in her hunger; Seto had apparently thought it was only necessary to feed her once a day. While she could deal with that normally, her unborn child was not too happy with the arrangement.

"Mokuba," she said between bites, "can I ask you a personal question?"

He shrugged, using her fingers to pick up another vegetable.

"How did your brother make you?" she inquired cautiously. He didn't seem to be bothered by the question.

"From a vial of my blood when I was alive. A doctor had taken it and frozen it when I was sick," he replied simply. Anzu would have sat straight up in shock had she been able to. Instead, she settled for nearly choking on the red, stringy vegetable in her mouth.

"He brought you back to _life?_" she demanded in a mixture of awe and creepiness.

The long-haired boy looked thoughtful. "Mmm, not really. He made this new body for me and restored my soul into it. I'm like a new me!" He laughed cheekily. Then he frowned a bit. "But, there are some memories I don't have, so I can't remember everything about my life before."

"But, how did he make your new body?" she wondered quietly.

"With magic, of course!"

"Of course," she commented. "Was he your brother before, too?"

He nodded. "See, I died of a disease I'd been born with when I was six years old. My body burned up. Seto was only three years older than me." Anzu silently did the math in her head. Had Mokuba's life gone on undisturbed, he'd be somewhere around thirty years old, maybe a few years older. He would be older than her!

"He obviously loves you very much to bring you back," Anzu remarked with a gentle smile.

He returned it. "He's my best friend."

Anzu's heart constricted a bit. She wondered if this boy would be left without his beloved big brother once Bakura got ahold of Seto Kaiba. Hell, she wished _she _could get her hands on the damn stalker.

"Mokuba, please explain to me why you are sitting on the floor, hand-feeding the woman who was previously chained up."

Mokuba's eyes were wide with apprehension as he stared at his brother who had just entered the room. Seto's arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were narrowed angrily.

"Brother, she is pregnant, and I just thought..." Mokuba trailed off quietly.

"I am very disappointed in you, Mokuba. You are not to enter this room again," Seto commanded. Anzu clenched her teeth.

"Don't you dare be mad at him! I told him you let me down all the time, and he thought it was okay!" she yelled. Chisara added a growl for extra measure. Mokuba looked at her, surprised.

"Is that so?" Seto ground out, his eyes flashing an eerie green. He raised his hands, and Anzu found herself flung up in the air. She cried out in pain as the cuffs slapped around her wrists. He informed her, "I will only accept so much disobedience from my wife."

"I am not your wife, and I never will be! Get the fucking clue!" she spat.

"I think a good punishment would be for you to have a small window to look out as a reminder that you will never again go outside," he suggested with a small smirk. She would do anything for the chance to slap it off his face. Seto waved his hand toward the far wall, and a small window appeared there, barely a square foot. Still, it was enough for Anzu to look out hungrily. Never go outside again? _I could kill him_, she thought.

"Come along, Mokuba," Seto said, holding his hand out for his younger brother.

"I'm sorry, Anzu," the twelve-year-old whispered before taking his brother's hand and exiting with him through the vortex.

Anzu sighed. "Well, Chisara, have at those vegetables," she said as she mournfully eyed the rest of her food which was now out of her reach.

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"Daddy, don't go!" Ryoko cried, clutching onto her father's arm. Baku's tiny hands were tugging on Bakura's cape. He knelt down in front of his two children.

"I'll be back before you know it. Aunt Careen and Aunt Mai are going to stay here with you, and you'll all have lots of fun," he told them. Ryoko let go of him and ran over to the group standing near the main ship in the center of the holding arena. The smaller jets had already left a few minutes prior, including those of the Aisulings.

"Uncle Malik! Uncle Jou! You don't go, too!" the young princess wailed.

Malik kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry, Ryoko. We'll be back really soon!" Jounouchi nodded his agreement. Although Yuugi had decided to be an ass, Jounouchi still owed it to Anzu to assist in her rescue even though he wasn't particularly trained in anything other than street-brawl.

Mai approached her fellow Earthling. "Hey, don't die."

Jounouchi smiled. "You would be too heartbroken if I did, so of course, I won't." She rolled her eyes and waved him off as he boarded the ship.

"Lord Malik, be careful," Careen implored, twisting her skirt nervously in her hand. He grinned wolfishly at her.

"No need to worry. The pretty people never die," he joked. He turned to board the ship.

"Malik," the blonde woman called after him. He half-turned to see what she needed, but was nearly knocked to the ground when Careen launched herself into his arms, pressing her lips tightly onto his. His eyes widened slightly. Soon, he squeezed her to him, inhaling her scent as their lips caressed the other's. Finally, they broke apart, and he made a hooting sound.

"Yow! Now, I _really _won't die," he exclaimed with a wink. "I always knew you wanted me."

She smacked him on the arm and shooed him up into the ship.

Once Bakura was the only one left to board the ship, he hugged his son and daughter one last time and turned to the small group still gathered outside. He nodded to Careen, Mai, and the three Aisu princesses. He turned to the one man present.

"Raptia-"

"My king, I will guard them with my life," the younger man promised, saluting proudly. He had been replaced in the position of second-in-command to General Malik and, instead, given the honor of guarding the prince and princess.

Bakura nodded in approval and boarded the ship. He entered the control room. "Begin journey to Ascenia."

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Yeah, this chapter was short. Oh, friggin' well. XD There's probably two chapters left, maybe three. Eek, the end nears!


	11. Chapter Eleven

Target: Destiny

Chapter Eleven

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A silver-haired soldier entered the gathering room of the main ship with a small microphone in her hand. Bakura, Malik, Jounouchi, and Malik's new second-in-command, Fenyang, were seated on the couch, looking over some paperwork. All four looked up as the transmissions officer bowed and held out the microphone.

"My king, it is from the capitol, the palace, to be specific," she told him. Bakura accepted the microphone, attaching it to his head, and the soldier backed out of the room. Bakura planted the speaker in his ear and adjusted the endpiece to rest in front of his mouth. The tele-comms interfered with the tracking signal of the main ship, so everyone onboard was required to use the somewhat ancient microphones. This was a problem Earth was supposed to be working out, but Bakura wondered if they still would.

"Bakura speaking," he said gruffly. He listened for a moment, then sighed. "All right then. Put her on." He slumped back against the couch and propped his feet up on the black oak coffee table in front of it. Within a minute, Malik could hear crying coming from the other end of the connection. Bakura winced. "I'm sorry, princess, but I can't come back right now. ...No, she can't bring you to me. ...No, you need to do what Aunt Careen says. ...He is? Okay, well, put him on."

Malik smiled slightly. It would seem that Ryoko was missing her dear father after a week and a half. All four men heard Ryoko screaming in the Bakurian language at someone in the background. Bakura assumed it to be Baku since the toddler could not understand Standard Universal as well as Bakurian yet.

"What are you doing to your sister?" Bakura demanded when the boy got on. "Don't do that. ...Boy, I'm going to bust your ass if- Okay, you do exactly what Aunt Careen and Aunt Mai say. ...No. ...If you're so bored, ask Ryoko to play with you." After a moment, Bakura chuckled. "Well, if you're desperate enough, you'll just have to play dress-up with her. ...Geez, okay, put her on."

Bakura smacked his palm to his face and shook his head. Malik raised a brow inquisitively. "Ryoko is mad because Careen won't bring her to me, and Baku is mad because he's bored, but Ryoko only wants to play dress-up, and Careen has something to tell me."

"Hello, Careen," Bakura greeted tiredly. "He did what? The little bugger didn't tell me about _that._ ...If he gets into my sword collection again, you are encouraged to whip his butt. ...Yeah. ...Okay, here he is." Bakura removed the microphone from his head and handed it to Malik. The blond placed it on his own head.

"You must miss me terribly," Malik boasted by way of greeting. Suddenly, his arrogant smirk faded, and his face burned red. "You slept with who! ..._Raptia!_ Put him on. I'll kill that bastard. He's supposed to be gay!"

Bakura glanced at Fenyang and Jounouchi who whispered "uh oh." Malik slammed his hand down on the coffee table, causing the Earthling to jump a foot. "Careen, that's not bloody funny! Do not ever make a joke like that again! ...Oh, yeah, ha-fucking-ha. ...Well, of course the little brat thinks it's funny; he's _three_!"

The three men not on the microphone stifled their laughter with their hands. Careen to Malik: one to zero.

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Anzu was in the midst of a fitful sleep when formidable hiss of a vortex portal opening up shook her awake. She struggled to bend her head to her shoulder to rub any remaining sleep out of her eyes. After a moment, Anzu wondered if someone actually planned on coming through the portal. Chisara had already crossed the room to investigate and seemed as if she wanted to go back through the portal.

"Don't you dare!" Anzu yelled. "You've already gotten yourself into trouble by going into portals you weren't supposed to."

The kitten moved back a bit when someone finally came inside the small room.

"You're going to get in trouble!" Anzu hissed.

Mokuba waved his hand and closed off the portal. He padded over to Anzu and made quick work of releasing her from her chain.

"I don't think your brother will be dumb enough to believe you fell for my little trick twice," she pointed out with a frown. Mokuba sat her down and leaned her against the wall. She did not think her arms had ever been so sore her entire life. Her wrists were swolen from the cuffs, and her shoulders felt as if they had been pulled from their sockets. Anzu had already been held prisoner for nearly four weeks; she wondered if she was ever going to get to leave.

"Seto is gathering our magicians. My brother says your husband is supposed to be here any day," Mokuba told her.

Anzu's hopes rose. "Thank God."

Mokuba eyed her silently. "Why don't you want to marry my brother?"

The Earthling stared at the young boy pitifully. He obviously still did not understand what his brother had done to her, how he had torn her away from her family and put her and her unborn child in danger. "Mokuba, I have a family, and I love my husband."

"Does he love you, too?" the twelve-year-old asked.

Anzu nodded fervently. "Although he is an idiot sometimes, yes, he does love me."

Mokuba scooted closer to Anzu, pulling out a small sack of assorted dried fruits. She smiled gratefully. The room was silent for a few minutes as the boy hand-fed the Bakurian queen. Surprisingly, Mokuba pulled out a piece of meat after he was done feeding Anzu and handed it to the black panther sitting in her lap. The kitten snatched up the meat, growling as she did, and stalked off to a corner of the room to eat her food where no one could possibly steal it from her.

"Where did you get your kitty?" the ebony-haired Ascenian wondered aloud.

"On planet Yamisha, about nine years ago."

He shrugged. "Never heard of it. Hey, when are you supposed to have your baby?"

Anzu smiled happily. Mokuba was suddenly a bundle of questions, but she was happy to divulge information about her dear unborn child.

"In a week and a half," she replied, patting her stomach. "Want to feel the baby?"

"You can feel it?" Mokuba asked in awe. She nodded. Hesitantly, he held out his hand and tenderly touched her abdomen. He quickly withdrew his hand. Anzu smile reassuringly. He reached out again, resting his hand on her swolen stomach. He gasped, amazed, when he felt the baby kick.

"Is it a boy or girl?"

"I didn't find out," she responded. She expected his surprise. Nowadays, a simple home test could reveal the gender of a child just a few weeks into the pregnancy. She continued, "I found out ahead of time with my first two children. I wanted this one to be a surprise."

"Are your two other kids babies?" he asked as he leaned in curiously.

"Well, I have an eight-year-old daughter named Ryoko, and a three-year-old son named Bakura," she told him. Before he could respond, the room fell into darkness as a shadow was cast over the tiny window on the far wall. Mokuba stood and crossed the room to the window to investigate.

"It's ships. A bunch of them."

Anzu looked over at him. "Ships?" she echoed, hardly able to contain her joy. The boy nodded. He half-turned back to her, holding out his hand.

"I'm sorry, but I have to put you back," he said as he lifted his hand. Wordlessly, she floated up a few feet before the cuffs were re-attached to her wrists. Without another word, the boy summoned a vortex and disappeared through it quickly.

A few minutes later, another vortex opened up, but it was Seto Kaiba who stepped through this time. His smile was sinister. "The hero has arrived," he informed her smugly. She could not imagine what he had to be smug about.

"I'm sure he's not alone. You don't stand a chance, you know," she pointed out, scowling.

Seto's smile widened. "Mokuba was in here, wasn't he." It wasn't a question.

"No!" Anzu fired back angrily. He obviously did not believe her, but he didn't seem upset about it.

"I'm sure he's told you quite a bit," the Prime Minister continued. "You know, when I created him, there was so much lost that I had to compensate with much of my own magic. He doesn't even know how powerful he is."

"Why are you telling me this?" Anzu asked quietly, an upsetting feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Seto didn't reply, but instead disappeared back through his vortex. Anzu stared at the spot where he had been, contemplating his words. Finally, she strained her neck to see out the window; however, she could only see the sky which was still shadowed over.

Suddenly, an unexpected pain jerked in her abdomen. She looked down the length of her body, realization dawning on her. _Oh, please, God, no._

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"So," Malik concluded as he motioned with a finger on the map, "since we outnumber the Ascenians greatly, we should be able to easily overcome them on ground by moving in from the east and south where their villages are less. However, Aisu air force units will hover low for any extra assistance needed. The Lasyupians, obviously the strength, will be the force of the invasion along with three-quarters of the Bakurians. The remaining Bakurians will be snipers in remote areas focusing in on the palace."

The Aisu president, Lasyupia king, Bakura, and the commanders nodded in acknowledgment of their duties.

"Question," Fenyang said, raising a finger. "What is the casualty policy?"

"Eliminate only those who oppose you. Others will be taken hostage until further notice from either myself or Malik," Bakura spoke up.

"Understood," he replied, bowing his head and placing his right fist over his heart. The other men present followed suit with Bakura returning the gesture.

After everyone had left the meeting room of the main ship except Bakura and Malik, the younger of the two cleared his throat.

"I won't bother asking you not to go in there after her," Malik began. "But, let me go with you at least."

Bakura considered his cousin's proposition for a moment before finally nodding his appreciation. The two men exited the ship silently, each lost in their own thoughts. Fenyang met them at the bottom of the ship's ramp.

"My king, general," he began, "it seems the Ascenians won't go down without a fight." He motioned behind him. A mile or so away, an electrifying purple force field could be seen. It appeared to rise up from the ground and completely circle the palace and the closer surrounding villages.

Bakura cursed. He had not wanted things to be hard, but it seemed difficulty was now the only option they had.

"The little buggers are all pulling together for their little barrier. How cute," Malik sneered.

"You've got to be shittin' me," Fenyang said in disbelief, a pair of binoculars pressed up to his eyes.

"What is it?" Bakura demanded sharply. Slowly, Malik's second-in-command pulled the binoculars away and held them out to the king.

"See for yourself, your majesty," he said, still in shock.

Bakura took the proferred binoculars and held them up to his eyes. He looked through them, seeing nothing but the barrier. Then, he realized what had shocked the older man.

Standing on top of the highest tower of the ivory palace was a single person. He glowed bright purple, and electricity surrounded his body, jumping off of his very aura. His long hair was flying in the wind created by his power, and his arms were outstretched. He could be no older than twelve. And he was upholding the force field barrier all by himself.

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Lots of 'uh ohs' in this chapter! Well, stay tuned to see what happens next.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Target: Destiny

Chapter Twelve

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Anzu cried out as another wave of pain hit her like a bullet. Gasping for air, she hung her head. A few hours had passed since her first contraction. Now, the pain was dull throb in her abdomen and lower back which intensified every few minutes. She had no medication to numb the pain, and she was all alone.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, the result of both pain and fear. She was completely immobile and hanging from a chain a foot above the ground. If her baby was born while she was in such a position, it would surely die with nothing to keep it from hitting the hard floor. Furthermore, Anzu did not have the ability to push her baby out; the strain it would put on her body could possibly kill her, as well.

"Oh, God, help! Somebody, help!" she screamed. She doubted if anyone could hear her, and if anyone would even care to check on her if they could. With the Ascenians under attack, Anzu was surely the least of their concerns.

"Mokuba!" she cried desperately. "My baby! Someone, help me!" She prayed someone would find her before it was too late.

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"Understood," the King of Aisu confirmed, ending the tele-comm connection with Malik. Quickly, he flipped on the intercom which was connected to each of his single-pilot jets.

"Fly in low, and hit the barrier hard," he instructed his soldiers immediately.

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Malik exited the ship, quickly descending the ramp. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight and looked up for signs of the Aisu jets. Within a few minutes, he saw them fly low under the purple Ascenian clouds.

"General," second-in-command Fenyang said, gaining Malik's attention. The blond lowered his hand, averting his gaze to the older man. Fenyang was standing next to a young boy who looked to be around Ryoko's age. The boy saluted fiercely when Malik glanced at him.

"What's this?" Malik demanded. Fenyang cleared his throat.

"I found this boy in the weapons room."

Malik looked down at the boy again. Even the general had to admit the boy was utterly adorable; he did not look the type to be in a battlefield, but instead in his bedroom primping his hair. As if reading Malik's thoughts, the boy tucked a few strands of chin-length, ivory locks behind his ear.

"I'm ready to fight, general, sir!" he declared. His stormy, grey eyes flashed determinedly. Malik crouched down in front of him.

"What's your name, boy?" he asked.

"Haraku, sir!" came the sharp response. Malik nodded thoughtfully. He half-turned, calling for Jounouchi over his shoulder.

The blond Earthling trotted up to the small group, glancing at the boy and Malik quizically. Malik pushed himself to his feet. "Jounouchi, it is imperative that you deliver Haraku to a safe room on one of the ships and watch over him."

Haraku gasped, affronted. "But, I want to fight!"

Jounouchi nodded and picked up the child. Haraku kicked and squirmed defiantly, so Jounouchi tossed him over the shoulder and calmly turned in the direction of the main ship.

Malik heard Bakura chuckle as the king came to stand next to his cousin. "I know who his parents are. His mother is probably terrified that he's gone," Bakura said with a small smile. The boy was still kicking and complaining as Jounouchi ascended the ramp and up into the ship, out of view.

Just then, the Aisu ships flew low over the barrier, dropping bombs over it. Nothing phased the barrier. Bakura placed the binoculars to his eyes again. The ebony-haired boy from before still stood poised on top of the tower, seemingly unfazed by the attacks.

"Well, that's just peachy with a side of fucking keen," Malik grumbled. He turned to Fenyang who was watching the unsuccessful ships in disbelief.

"Keep hitting that barrier with everything we've got. We're going in," the general told him. Fenyang focused on his superiors, transferring his shock.

"I must protest, my king!" he exclaimed. "It will be dangerous!"

Bakura crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant gesture. "I'm going in and there isn't a damn thing anybody can do about it. You know why? Because I'm the fucking man, that's why."

Malik lifted a brow and snorted. Fenyang seemed like he still wanted to protest, but Malik's shake of the head quieted any further complaints. He saluted sharply.

"We will break this barrier somehow!" he declared. He bowed before turning and jogging back to the army which had assembled on the ground. The tanks were also fully prepared to trek a path of destruction once the force field barrier was out of the way.

"Okay, anyway. I say we just wait until the barrier is broken," Malik said. Bakura waved a hand at him in dismissal.

"Malik, procrastination is like masturbation. It feels great until you realize you're just fucking yourself."

The blond stared after his pale-colored companion in a mixture of humor and foreboding before finally following him toward the barrier a mile away.

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"Somebody better get their ass in here and get me off this damn chain before I get pissed off!" Anzu shrieked. She screamed in frustration. Using what she felt was every ounce of strength within her, she tried desperately to pull on her chain; her arms would not tug even the slightest bit. The wedding gown she wore cut painfully into her waist. She cried out in agony as the pain in her abdomen intensified sharply.

"Damn you all! What the hell are you doing out there—taking a bloody coffee break?" she yelled.

Chisara meowed loudly. She paced around the room, obviously sensing her mistress's dire situation. She hopped up on the thin windowsill and began adamantly pawing on the glass. Anzu watched her for a minute due to the mere fact that the action took her mind off of her pain briefly.

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After walking for ten minutes, Bakura and Malik reached the force field barrier. The electricity could be seen much easier now, jumping off of the barrier in little jolts. Suddenly, it seemed much more daunting than it had a mile away.

Malik pulled his laser gun and his bullet gun from their holsters, firing each at the barrier; neither had any effect and were merely absorbed into the electrifying force field. He tenderly reached a hand out and touched the barrier. He drew his hand back, shaking off the sting.

He turned away from the barrier and faced his cousin behind him. "Okay, here's the plan," he started. "First, we're going to--" Without completing his sentence, he grabbed Bakura's arms and jumped through the barrier, pulling Bakura through closely behind him.

The Bakurian king felt merely a shock as the barrier closed behind them; however, Malik had taken the full brunt of the pain. Bakura grasped his cousin's shoulders and turned him around. The blond's eyes were unfocused, his hair stood on end, and his mouth was slightly agape.

"Why did you do that?" Bakura demanded. "You could have been hurt!"

"What a rush..." Malik trailed off, still staring dazedly at some unforeseen object in front of him. Suddenly, he focused on Bakura. "Am I on fire? Because I think I'm on fire." He promptly passed out.

"Shit," Bakura muttered, kneeling down next to his unconscious cousin. He gently shook him by the shoulders. "Bakura calling Malik. We're in the middle of a battle here." The blond remained unconscious. Bakura sighed agitatedly. He dropped Malik to the ground. "Meanwhile, Careen is standing on a street corner back on Bakura, bartering off her body for a pint of beer."

Malik shot up into a sitting position then. "I'll kill 'em!" he shouted to no one in particular. Bakura rolled his eyes.

"And nothing says 'I love you' like reducing yourself to a smoldering pile of ashes," he snapped irritably. He flung his hand in the direction of the barrier. "That's electricity, dumbass! Don't ever think about walking through it again!"

Malik made an incomprehensible sound, a bit of drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Bakura groaned, helping his cousin stand. "Are you okay?" Malik asked, his speech a bit slurred. The king's features softened.

"I'm fine. You're lucky that you are, too."

The pair continued their walk to the palace; Malik tripped and dragged his feet every now and then, but the journey was otherwise uneventful. All of the small villages they encountered were completely deserted, a fact which did not surprise either of them. Bakura supposed the residents of Ascenia had all taken refuge in the palace which was not too far away.

The king and general had been walking for at least a few hours; however, the force field barrier was still intact around them. They could not see their comrades anymore, but Aisu jets could be seen overhead from time to time, dropping bombs on the barrier. It held firm each time, like an old monument in a storm.

"Hey, Bakura, what do Ascenians use for birth control?"

Bakura shrugged. "How the hell should I know, and why the hell should I care?"

"Their personalities," Malik finished. Bakura stopped and stared at his laughing cousin. Finally, he let a small chuckle escape.

"I'm really not in the mood," Bakura warned.

"What's the difference between a boyfriend and a husband?" Malik continued, not paying any heed to Bakura's foul mood. The king ignored him, quickening his speed. Malik didn't take the hint. He said, "45 minutes."

Bakura whirled around, grabbing the younger man by the shirt collar. "Just what the hell are you saying?" he demanded harshly. Malik laughed at his offended companion.

All of a sudden, his laughing turned to hacking. While Bakura held Malik within inches of his own face, the blond vomited all over the Bakurian king. Bakura dropped Malik to the ground.

"I can't believe this shit," Bakura stammered, wiping his shirt sleeve across his face in disgust. Malik continued emptying the contents of his stomach all over the grass. Bakura glared down at the ground as if seeing right through it. "Fuck you, too, then! You just wait until I get to hell. I'm going to put you out of a job for what you're putting me through during my life!"

After what seemed like an eternity to Bakura, they reached the palace. They crouched down behind some bushes and surveyed the entrances to the palace. Of course, several guards stood at alert in front of each door. Not to mention, several guards traveled back and forth through black, swirly vortexes, disappearing and appearing at random places and times.

"No good," Malik murmured, still drooling a bit. Bakura wiped the drool away, affectionately patting his cousin on the head.

"It's okay, little man," he cooed. Malik glared at him heatedly.

"I'm not retarded, just electrocuted!"

Bakura smirked. He took out his binoculars again and looked through them. He scanned the palace walls. The ivory stone presented a glare from the mid-afternoon sunlight. He sighed impatiently. He held the binoculars out to Malik.

"Okay, Mr. Strategist, how do we get in?" Bakura asked with a hint of sarcasm. Malik looked through the binoculars, scanning the walls himself.

"That cat is a bloody genius!" Malik exclaimed. Bakura stared at him, confused. The blond handed the binoculars back to his cousin and pointed at a window. "Look up there. This is the second time in my life that cat has shown me Anzu is in danger by scratching on a window."

Bakura eyed the window which was about three stories up. Sure enough, a black cat with enormous green eyes was frantically scratching on a window. Although the cat looked different in some way, Bakura recognized her immediately. The fact that Chisara had gone missing on planet Bakura was an added indication that the cat must be his wife's beloved pet black panther. "She looks smaller, don't you think?"

"Nah," Malik replied, shaking his head. "It's just the distance making it look that way."

Suddenly, the situation dawned on Bakura. "What the hell is that cat doing here?"

"Who cares? It's a good thing she is," Malik said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out six tiny blades, three in each hand between his fingers. "We obviously can't climb up that high. We'll have to get inside."

Before Bakura could reply, his cousin had expertly thrown the six blades at the six guards standing in front of the nearest door, approximately half a mile away. As expected, each guard dropped dead on the ground, the poisoned blade penetrating their blood stream within seconds.

"You got one of them in the forehead instead of the chest," Bakura pointed out with raised eyebrows.

"I was just electrocuted; cut me some damn slack!" Malik fired back defensively. Bakura held up his hands in surrender, smiling teasingly.

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"This barrier will not budge!" Jounouchi cried in frustration. "I'd like to wring that kid's neck." He glared up at the tower the young boy was still standing on, gallantly upholding the protective force field.

"You know, we could really use some help right about now," Fenyang pointed out, frowning.

As if on cue, five dark blue jets zoomed in over the barrier, dropping bombs over it. Fenyang shielded his eyes from the sunlight, looking up at the jets in curiosity. The bombs were obviously different than the ones the Aisulings were trying to break down the barrier with. Even from a distance, Fenyang and Jounouchi could tell that these new bombs were larger and they steamed with heat.

"Who on Bakura are they?" the Bakurian wondered aloud. His attention averted to the force field barrier as it began to emit a loud crackling noise. Fenyang snatched a pair of binoculars out of a fellow soldier's hand. He traced his eyesight to the tower. The young boy who was upholding the barrier was laying unconscious, dangling off the edge of the tower.

"That's Earth," Jounouchi told him with a prideful smirk.

The barrier began to dissipate, and the Earthling jets disappeared, obviously having completed their mission.

"I'll be damned," Fenyang murmured. He turned to the army of Bakurians and Lasyupians assembled behind him. Raising his hand up, he signaled them. "Move in!"

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Bakura fired his laser gun into a guard as he and Malik rounded a corner. The sun was beginning to descend the horizon, and there was no source of lighting in the palace. Bakura remembered eight years ago, the palace had been lit at night by candles; he had thought the Ascenians were incredibly primitive. The pair stopped abruptly when they spotted their next opponent.

"Oh, geez, not that kid again," Malik groaned. He slapped a hand to his face in resentment.

Before them stood the same boy who had upheld the force field barrier for so many hours. He was bruised, bloodied, and beaten, but was obviously prepared to defend his home planet until he breathed his last breath. Malik and Bakura were relieved that the barrier had apparently been broken finally.

"Hurry, Bakura, go," Malik said, never removing his eyes from the child.

"There are no lights in this place. Take care of this quickly before darkness falls," Bakura told his cousin before continuing his run down the palace corridors in search of his wife.

"Darkness?" the boy echoed eerily. He watched Bakura leave before turning back to Malik. "But, I'm right here."

Malik's breath caught in his throat as the boy's aura flared around him, and his long, black hair stood on end, flying around him.

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_Damnit! She should be around here somewhere, but there's nothing here! _Bakura spun around in a full circle in the corridor. There were no doors on either side of the hall or even any decorations of any kind. The corridor was completely empty. To make matters worse, the sun had almost set, and Bakura was finding it hard to see. He began to wonder if it had really been Chisara they had seen, or if it was their imaginations playing games with them.

"Call me psychic, but I think you're looking for someone," a mocking voice said from behind Bakura. Without thinking twice, Bakura pulled his laser gun from its holster on his hip, turned around, and fired.

The laser shot past Seto Kaiba, inches from his face, as he moved aside at the last second. Bakura slowly lowered his arm.

"Magical _and _psychic, you lucky son of a gun," the king replied sarcastically. Seto took a few steps closer, taking off his robe and tossing it aside to reveal his bare chest. Bakura scoffed.

"Fight me like a man," the Prime Minister suggested mischievously. He held out his hands and a sword appeared in each.

Bakura removed his cape and dropped it to the floor. He caught the sword his rival tossed at him and flipped it over in his hand, examining it. It was simple in design compared to Seto's golden blade which was inlaid with precious jewels. The king looked up, a gleam in his eye.

"You're going to regret putting a sword in my hand."

Seto shrugged carelessly with a smirk. He and Bakura began to circle each other predatorily.

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Anzu raised her head sharply upon hearing two muffled voices behind the wall at her left. Although they were quiet and unclear, she recognized both immediately.

"Bakura," she sobbed in relief. She did not know how many hours she had been in labor, but she knew her baby was going to be born soon. At the thought, her crying intensified, but she struggled to keep silent.

_If he hears me and I distract him, he could be hurt, _she realized. She bit her lip to keep from crying out from the agonizing pain. Tiny drops of crimson blood from her lip hit the floor beneath her elevated body.

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"Where's Anzu?" Bakura demanded harshly, dodging a swipe of Seto's sword. He lunged forward with his own sword, knicking the Ascenian in the shoulder.

Seto hissed, grasping at his shoulder briefly. He recovered with a sinister smile. "Oh, my future wife is nearby," he replied mysteriously. He swung his sword and sliced open Bakura's sleeve.

Bakura refused to take the bait. "Tell me, is that cat of hers here? We couldn't find her back home, and my daughter is missing her terribly."

Seto saw nothing suspicious about the question and nodded in response. Bakura's hopes rose. That confirmed that the cat in the window was, indeed, Chisara. That meant Anzu should have been in a room connected to the very corridor he was fighting Seto in. However, it still baffled the Bakurian king that there were no doors in the hall.

Occupied with his thoughts, Bakura did not see Seto raise his sword above his head and bring it down in a slice in time for him to dodge the attack. Bakura howled in pain, clutching at his eye. Temporarily blinded, he backed into the wall, sword gripped tightly in his hand.

"Did I hurt you?" Seto asked coyly. Bakura removed his bloody hand from his face and slowly looked up at his opponent. His right eye was closed tightly, and a nasty gash about half an inch wide ran the length from his eyebrow, straight down to his cheekbone. Crimson blood dripped down his cheek, taking a long fall from his chin to the floor. He gently opened his eye, ignoring the severe pain the action caused. He was grateful for the fact that he could still see.

"Not as bad as Anzu apparently hurt you when she rejected you so long ago. Not that I blame her—you're downright ugly."

Seto's cold, blue eyes flashed an angry green, and a fierce scowl set his mouth in a tight line. Bakura swiped at the blood on his face, and when he focused again on Seto, the Ascenian was no longer a humanoid, but instead the crocodile-man Bakura remembered from his visits to Ascenia.

"Have I made you angry?" Bakura taunted, amazed at his ability to joke in such a situation.

The Prime Minister-turned-crocodile threw himself at Bakura, slashing every which way with his sword. In his anger, his thrusts were mostly off-balance and off-target. Bakura shoved Seto off of him and stabbed him in his scaly arm. Seto cried out in rage, switching his sword to his uninjured arm.

"You'll pay!" he shrieked, his voice much deeper than before.

A scream of pain erupted into the corridor, clearly feminine. Without a thought to his situation, Bakura whirled around to face the wall behind him. "Anzu!" he yelled frantically.

Seto saw the opportunity and yanked his gun out of the back of his pants' waistline. He quickly raised the gun and aimed.

The horrible, high-pitched hiss of a laser gun being fired drew Bakura's attention back to Seto. The Prime Minister still had his gun held out in front of him, aimed at Bakura. In disbelief, the ivory-haired king's dark orbs slowly travelled down the length of his body.

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It might be a little cruel to end the chapter there. Hmm... nah. XD The next chapter will be the last, so stay tuned for that. Thanks to everyone who has read this far!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Target: Destiny

Chapter Thirteen

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As the barrier had been broken, Fenyang and Jounouchi along with the legions of Bakurian and Lasyupian soldiers charged into the Ascenian territory, prepared for a gruesome battle. They were met head on with several males and females alike ready to defend their land, bolts of lighting shooting from the finger tips of some while icy winds bombarded the soldiers fighting to rescue the Bakurian queen. The front line had been knocked down quickly while the remaining soldiers in the back let loose parades of laser beams at the magicians, some hitting dead on while some of the beams were reflected due to magical barriers.

Fenyang dodged an attack thrown at him, getting behind a tree as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some daggers. He peered over the tree before releasing the poisoned blades. He grinned maliciously as he heard the piercing screams of men and women alike being taken down by not only his daggers, but also the lasers erupting from the Lasyupian and Bakurian soldiers. Some of his men bearing long swords seemed to fare well in close combat against the magicians. After all, magicians aren't very physical people, and when caught against a wall, a spell doesn't always do the trick--especially if a sword is protruding from the chest.

Jounouchi quickly shot at one Ascenian and dodge-rolled to the right behind a bush before he was set on ice. He let out a sigh of relief before standing and letting out massive gunfire at the Ascenians. He grinned as several were taken down.

"What now, biotches!" he yelled and pointed. "How do you like my little friend here, eh?"

Fenyang eyed the Earthling cautiously before he caught slight movement from behind the man. He quickly unsheathed his sword and ran across the battlefield, dodging streams of lightning and lasers. Jounouchi, still gloating over his "victory," turned around and saw an Ascenian right behind him, prepared to strike him down. As if on cue, the tip of a long sword pushed its way through the magician's chest, the body falling down.

"What the hell are you doing! We're in a war! You don't gloat during attacks! You gloat when we actually _win_ it!" Fenyang yelled angrily, swinging his sword as the blood droplets slid off of the metal blade.

Jounouchi hugged the Bakurian general tightly. "You saved my life! I don't think Mai would ever survive if she knew anything happened to me!"

Fenyang just sighed, pushing him away, thinking to himself how stupid Earthlings really were. "Just concentrate on killing as many as possibly until we get word from General Malik or King Bakura; do you hear me?"

As the war raged on outside the royal Ascenian palace, the battle brought on by fate was still continuing inside the shining walls.

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Malik's eyes widened as his child opponent flared his aura. The force of the power almost knocked the Tevinelivian into the wall. Suddenly, there were two of the boy, and Malik wondered if the child had the power to clone himself.

Mokuba's raw power erupted into black flames around him. They licked at him, but he felt nothing. "I will not let you hurt my brother," he declared quietly. "I think it's only fair to tell you I have learned from the best."

Malik smirked and planted his hands on his hips. "Well, I think it's only fair to tell _you, _I _am_ the best."

Mokuba powered up a ball of pure, black energy in his palm. He levitated it in the air, preparing to throw it at Malik. Drool dribbled out of the side of Malik's mouth. Before the ball could be released at him, he was unconscious on the floor.

Mokuba stared down at him in surprise. _I didn't even do anything,_ he thought in bewilderment. Suspiciously, he bent down and poked at the man. The blond was out cold.

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Horror filled Anzu's expression. Bakura called out to her through the wall. The sounds of swords clashing had ceased, and she had heard the hiss of a laser gun being fired. Then, the time-stilling thump of a body hitting the ground had been heard through the wall on her left.

Because she could not keep her big mouth shut, her husband had lost his concentration. He was dead, and it was all her fault! She started to cry hysterically.

"Bakura!" she screamed in anguish.

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In disbelief, the ivory-haired king's dark orbs slowly travelled down the length of his body. He dropped his sword to the floor. His gaze moved back up to focus in front of him. Seto Kaiba, whose laser gun was still held out in front of him, slowly dropped to his knees before falling over onto his face. Behind the fallen Prime Minister, Prince Yuugi lowered his own laser gun and scowled.

"Pay attention, dumbass."

Bakura eyed his arch rival momentarily, wondering if he should thank him or wring his neck for interfering. Another scream from behind the wall drew both men's attention to it.

Bakura ran up to it and began pounding on it. He ran his hands all over it, desperately looking for some type of hidden device which would open an invisible door.

"Stand back," Yuugi advised, holding a miniature bomb in his hand. Bakura moved aside. "You know," Yuugi continued as he pulled the activator trigger on the bomb, "you're pretty unprepared."

Bakura glowered as he picked up his guns he had tossed aside before his battle with Seto. "My wife gets kidnapped and I decide to kill someone. That's my prepared-ness."

Yuugi tossed the bomb at the wall, and it exploded on impact. A small hole was created, but it was large enough for each man to fit through.

"Bakura! Yuugi!" Anzu cried in relief, tears streaming down her cheeks. She glanced at her husband's face and gasped. "Your eye!"

Bakura didn't reply. He ran over to her, eyeing her wedding gown in disgust only briefly. He drew the hanging woman into his arms and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss which silently explained how much they had missed each other. He was startled when a scream erupted into his mouth. Anzu threw her head back, screaming again.

"What? _What!"_ he demanded, truly frightened.

"The baby! It's coming!" she yelled back. Bakura's eyes widened and, for the moment, he resembled a child who had been told Christmas wasn't coming that year.

"Hold onto her," Yuugi commanded, seeing Bakura's terrified surprise at his wife's declaration.

"He said hold onto me, damnit!" Anzu yelled angrily. Bakura shook himself out of his stupor and held onto her. Yuugi shot the chain which held her up, and it shattered. Anzu fell down immediately, cradled into Bakura's arms.

He jerked her up when she nearly rolled out of his arms. She flopped to the side when he adjusted her. "What's wrong with you?" he implored, heartstricken. Yuugi joined the king at his side, looking Anzu over for injuries which could explain her immobility.

"The collar! Get the collar off!" she cried. Her face and Bakura's shirt sleeve were soaked with her tears of fear, relief, and, most obvious of all, pain.

Bakura laid Anzu on the small bed in the room and gripped the metal collar around her neck. He pried his hands outward from each other, but the collar would not budge an inch. There was no hole in which a key might fit; it was completely solid.

"It won't come off," Bakura concluded in dismay. "We have to get back to Bakura. Get out your ITD." Yuugi knew the king was talking to him, and he retrieved his instantaneous transportation device from his pocket.

After a minute, Bakura looked up at his rival to see what was taking so long. Yuugi was tapping on the side of it, muttering something in a language he didn't understand. Anzu obviously understood because she screamed, "What!"

"It won't work," Yuugi repeated in Standard Universal. Bakura jumped to his feet and lifted Yuugi by his shirt collar.

"What the hell do you mean?" he demanded viciously.

"I mean it won't work! It must be the magic on this planet," Yuugi clarified. Bakura shook him harshly.

"Well, fix it!"

Yuugi pushed away from the Bakurian king. "I would if I knew how!"

"If you don't fix it, I'll fix _you _where it counts!" Bakura fired back, glancing down at Yuugi's lower regions meaningfully. The two started to shout and shove each other.

"Hey, hey!" Anzu yelled. "Remember me? The one with something the size of a watermelon coming out of something the size of an orange!"

The men grudgingly released each other and moved to Anzu's side again. Bakura grasped her hand. "I'm going get help," he told her and moved to leave. She growled and her eyes narrowed. He gulped.

"If you leave, I'll leave you _permanently!_ It's your damn fault I'm like this!"

Bakura didn't care to argue with her, so he nodded soothingly. "Of course, it is." He ignored Yuugi's quiet snickering, and ripped the beautiful wedding gown down the middle. He cut the skirt entirely off with his blade in his boot.

Anzu gasped. "Chisara!" Bakura and Yuugi looked in the direction she was staring. The tiny cat was about to exit the hole in the wall they had previously made.

"Woah, that cat got small!" Yuugi exclaimed.

Anzu groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. "Don't let her go," she whispered in agony. The Earthling prince jogged over to the hole in the wall to get the black panther. He glanced back at the Bakurian king and queen.

"There's someone out here," he said. He glanced back into the corridor revealed from the hole. "It's a young boy with long, black hair. He's," Yuugi paused uneasily, "crying over Seto Kaiba's rather scaly body."

"Mokuba," Anzu moaned. "Bring him to me."

Bakura leaned back and looked out into the corridor. His features hardened and he drew his laser gun from its holster. He held it up, pointed through the hole at Mokuba in the corridor.

Anzu gasped at the display. "Bakura! I swear I will kick your ass if you--argh!" she screamed in pain again. She broke into hard panting.

Mokuba heard the woman scream and stood from his place next to his brother. He trudged into the room where Anzu, Bakura, and Yuugi were.

"Where is my cousin?" Bakura ground out, gun still poised at the ready. The boy ignored Bakura and the gun. He dragged himself to Anzu's side and knelt by the bed. Bakura and Yuugi glanced at each other, and the former lowered his gun.

"Anzu, he's dead," the boy wailed, hot tears dripping from his dark purple orbs. He laid his head on the bed next to her, his shoulders shaking with his sobs. Anzu longed to reach out and console him, but she could not move.

"I know, sweetie. I'm so sorry," she whispered. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, but she could not contain herself; the baby was coming any minute, and it obviously did not want to be delayed.

Mokuba fell back, startled. "What's wrong with you?" he implored, taking her hand. She forced a smile on her features.

"My baby is going to be born very soon, but I can't move. It's hard for my baby to be born if I can't push," she told him. He stood up, looking her over. He held out his hand which caused Bakura to move toward him in alarm. However, before Bakura could reach the boy, Mokuba had extracted the collar from around Anzu's neck.

She made a choking noise and jolted up in the bed. Her hand, which still had no feeling due to her being chained for so long, immediately went to her neck. Her relief of being mobile again was short-lived, however, for she was soon groaning in pain again. "It's coming," she breathed.

Bakura ran to her side, kneeling down by the bed. "Okay," he said, holding his hands out in a stopping motion. "You need to breathe. Deep breathing!"

Anzu did as told and started her deep breathing. Soon enough, she was screaming again, and Bakura was the one doing the deep breathing.

"Not you, fool!" Yuugi yelled, aggravated. He shoved the frantic Bakura out of the way. "Let someone who knows what they're doing step in." He gripped Anzu's hand. "Push, Anzu, push!"

"I am pushing, damnit!" she screamed. She squeezed tightly on Yuugi's hand.

"Ahh!" he howled. He yanked his hand out of her death-like grip.

"Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit," Bakura repeated, holding himself in a corner. Yuugi was cradling his injured hand in another corner of the room.

Calmly, Mokuba approached the bed. He held the collar out, and Anzu grabbed at it frantically, squeezing tightly. The boy was still crying himself, but he mumbled soothing words to the laboring queen.

Just when Bakura and Yuugi thought they were going to faint from all of the screaming and blood, a new sound of screaming penetrated the room-an infant's. Bakura was afraid to look, but when he finally did, Mokuba was pinching the umbilical cord of the tiny baby to sever it. The Ascenian pulled off his robe and wrapped it around the baby.

"It's a girl," Mokuba told Anzu. The Bakurian queen panted tiredly, but nonetheless held out her arms to take her third child. Mokuba gently laid the tiny girl in Anzu's arms. He slumped to the floor next to the bed, pulling his knees tightly to him and numbly staring off into space.

Bakura leaned over the bed, running a finger down his daughter's frail arm. He stared down at the infant and his wife in wonder. He had not been anywhere near Anzu during Ryoko's birth, had not even known he had a daughter until Ryoko was almost four years old. He had sat in the waiting room while Baku was being born.

"Her name is Taena," Anzu told him, kissing her baby on the forehead.

"Tay-nuh?" Bakura echoed. "No chance of Bakurina?"

Anzu chuckled tiredly. "Not a chance in hell." Slowly, she closed her eyes, succumbing to slumber.

Yuugi crossed the room and squatted down in front of Mokuba. "Where is Malik?" he asked. The boy readjusted his head which was resting on his knees, so he could look at the Earth prince. His eyes were swolen and red from crying, but he was silent for the time-being.

"The blond? He passed out in the hall before I even touched him."

Yuugi raised an eyebrow at this statement, but Bakura laughed knowingly. At Yuugi and Mokuba's curious stares, he said, "Malik's had a rough day." He turned back to Anzu. "The kid will stay with you since you seem to know him. We're going find Malik. We'll be back really soon."

The drowsy queen merely nodded and mumbled something incoherent. Bakura was not exactly too pleased with leaving Anzu and Mokuba alone, but the queen seemed very fond of the boy. Bakura needed Yuugi with him in case he was ambushed; he hated to admit it, but Yuugi could be of assistance in a battle. After seeing the force field barrier, Bakura had little doubt that Mokuba could thoroughly protect Anzu.

He pushed himself away from the bed and climbed out of the hole in the wall, Yuugi following shortly after. The two re-traced Bakura's steps from earlier to find Malik in the same corridor as before.

"You're under arrest for being the sneakiest asshole I've ever met. You have the right to shut the fuck up. If you choose not to, you have the right to some pansy who'll defend your ass. If you can't bribe the aforementioned pansy into helping you, we'll find you the dumbest fucking attorney in the universe. Understand, bitch?"

Bakura and Yuugi rounded a corner to see Malik crouched over the body of a quivering Ascenian, his blade to the man's throat and his gun to the man's head. His lavender orbs sparkled furiously.

"All right there, Malik?" Bakura asked, slightly amused. His cousin glanced up at him angrily.

"This asshole tried to strangle me in my sleep!"

"Pray tell, why were you sleeping?" Bakura continued sweetly.

"I think that punk kid worked some hocus pocus on me," the blond guessed. The fact that his previous electrocution may have caused him to pass out did not occur to the Tevinelivian man.

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The next day found the Bakurians on their way back home. Yuugi and the Earthlings had left shortly after the new baby, Taena, was born as they had not had anything to do with the war itself other than dropping a few bombs on Mokuba's barrier.

The Lasyupians had began their journey back to Lasyupia which was in the opposite direction of Bakura and Aisu.

The Aisulings were, of course, travelling back with the Bakurians as they lived in the same solar system and the three Aisu princesses were residing on Bakura.

Several Bakurian soldiers had been left on Ascenia for an undecided amount of time to keep the citizens under control. After much thinking on Bakura's part and much soothing from Anzu, Bakura and Malik had decided to, in fact, keep planet Ascenia in one piece.

After all that had happened, the king's first incentive was to blow Ascenia to bits as he had originally wanted to; however, Anzu assured him that just because the Prime Minister was an obsessive freak did not mean that all Ascenians were.

As a matter of fact, when Bakura, Malik, Yuugi, Anzu, and Mokuba had exited the palace, they had found the Ascenian civilians who were sheltered in the palace to be quite docile and willing when it came to orders. The Bakurian and Lasyupian soldiers had reported that the only Ascenians who had opposed them had been the soldiers; the regular civilians had complied with every order.

A new Ascenian Prime Minister would have to be elected, but it would be the Bakurian empire who chose the new representative. The Ascenians, as a conquered people, would have no say in the matter. Furthermore, Ascenia was permanently removed from the Bakurian Trading Alliance, and would have to depend entirely on their own products to live as they were not permitted to ally with any other empire.

"Is it a boy or girl?" the young boy, Haraku, asked curiously as he scooted over next to the queen. Bakura had refused to let Anzu out of his sight, so she was sitting in the controls room with him at the moment as he instructed the main ship pilots. Malik had brought the eight-year-old boy to her when she had first boarded the ship, requesting the queen to watch over the child.

"A girl. Her name is Taena," Anzu responded with a smile. The ivory-haired boy smiled and held out a finger for the infant to take. Unsurprisingly for a one-day old baby, little Taena did not respond to the finger.

Mokuba sat on a chair a few feet away, fidgeting nervously. He glanced around the room at the Bakurian soldiers, eyeing them uneasily. Anzu patted the boy's hand. He whipped his head around in her direction, obviously on the defense.

"We won't bite you, dear," the queen said as she held Taena to her chest.

"Are you sure it's okay that I go back with you?" Mokuba asked.

"There is nothing left for you on Ascenia. You will like it on Bakura."

Mokuba nodded, still uncertain as he stared out the window into the black abyss. He patted the small, black cat in his lap as Chisara purred quietly.

"We'll be home before you know it," Bakura said, coming to stand in front of the small group. Anzu sighed in relief. She could not wait to be home with her children.

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"Momma!"

"Daddy!"

Baku ran up to his mother in the docking port, latching himself onto her leg. Anzu handed baby Taena to a servant girl, so she could embrace her son. She showered his face with kisses. "My baby boy, I missed you so much!"

Ryoko held tight onto her father's neck from her place in his arms. "Daddy, you have a mark thingie on your face!" She wiggled her nose curiously. Then a smile spread across her face. "I wanna swordplay!" Bakura nodded with a grin, the expression causing his facial scar to scrunch up.

"Sure thing, princess."

Bakura and Anzu switched children, so they could hug the other. Anzu was in tears once again, having been separated from her children for almost two months. She had, of course, talked to them via microphone everyday once she had boarded the ship; however, it had been devastating for the mother to be unable to hold her son and daughter.

"Jounouchi!" Mai squealed, running up to her fellow Earthling. She stopped directly in front of him and punched him in the shoulder. He yelped in pain, grabbing at his shoulder.

"Well, I missed you, too!" he shot back, glaring at her.

"You _worried _me!" The beautiful woman ruffled his hair, smiling with tears brimming at the corners of her lavender orbs. She jumped out of the way as a young ivory-haired boy ran past her.

"Dad, I was in the war!" Haraku yelled as he ran up to his parents. His mother swung him up into her arms.

"Oh, Haraku, my baby!" she cried, nearly suffocating him as she held his head to her generous bosom.

"You're grounded," his father said sternly, shaking his head.

"Aw, man!" Haraku complained. "For how long?"

"Until I die and can't enforce it anymore."

"Lord Malik!" Careen cried, running up to the man. She threw herself into his arms, toppling them both to the ground. She dug her fingers into his course hair, delving her tongue into his mouth to mesh with his own. They broke away breathlessly.

"Aw, poor little Careen has been sexually neglected while I've been away," Malik teased, tickling her.

"Nah, I don't believe in chastity until marriage; you know that!" she replied lightly, waving a hand at him as she stood up. He pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Oh, just flaunt your sexual trysts right in front of me, why don't you!"

Careen smiled mischievously at his pouting expression. "I'm just playing. I'd only sleep with the man I marry now, but it's not like I'd marry you anyway." With that, she walked away to welcome back Anzu and Bakura. Malik stared after her, mouth agape. Finally, he chuckled and shook his head.

After saying her hello's and "aww"ing over the new baby, Careen spotted a young boy off to the side by himself. She tilted her head, curious, before approaching him.

Mokuba looked up at the blonde woman standing in front of him. She did not appear to be very old. She was staring at him expectantly, so he shifted his weight nervously.

"Hello," he said quietly. Before he knew what was happening, the woman had enveloped him in a hug, running her fingers through his hair.

"Oh! If you aren't just the most adorable boy I've ever seen!" she exclaimed. Mokuba strained his neck to look up at her features in shock.

"I-I beg your pardon?" he stuttered. She pulled away from him, holding him at arms length.

"I'm Careen. What's your name?" she introduced tenderly. After a moment, Mokuba let a small smile grace his features. Seto was gone, but maybe it would not be so lonely on Bakura after all.

Fenyang approached his waiting family, hugging his children and young grandchildren. He led them out of the docking port, already filling their eager ears with tales of his first battle as second-in-command.

"Chisara!" Ryoko screamed, running up to the servant holding the tiny black panther. "You're so cute and tiny!" She plucked the cat out of the woman's arms, cuddling her to her chest.

Anzu looked over at her daughter. "You must be much gentler now, Ryoko! Chisara is a little thing now!"

The brunette princess looked up before kissing their pet on the forehead. "I promise I will be very careful, momma, but Baku better stay away from her! He's too wild!"

Anzu laughed and nodded in agreement. The little bundle of energy would definitely have to stay away from Chisara until she grew bigger again. The queen's attention was drawn to Mokuba who was fidgeting nervously, answering all of Careen's gleeful questions as quietly as possible. Baku was staring at the new baby in awe as she rested in Uncle Malik's arms.

Anzu was not startled when a pair of pale arms encircled her from behind. Tender lips were pressed to her earlobe before travelling down her jaw to her throat. The queen turned in the king's arms, wrapping her own arms around his neck.

"You know what? I love you," she told him with a quirky smile. He nodded seriously.

"Who wouldn't?"

She smacked him on the shoulder, laughing. "And you love me, too," she continued, trailing a finger down his scar. He shrugged, unaffected by the scar as he had been assured by his wife, repeatedly, that it made him look even sexier.

"Maybe."

She whacked him again, harder this time. He yelped, playing along. "All right, all right, fine. I do."

"Of course, you do. Who wouldn't?" she mimicked. He grinned wolfishly, yanking her to him. He nipped at her nose before lowering his lips to her own, gently caressing their buds with his tongue. He pulled away a few inches, their noses still touching.

"For all the trouble you cause me," he started, "I still may have to keep you around." She nodded soberly before kissing him passionately again.

_THE END_

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Wow, kids, that's the end! XD But I tell ya' what. If you liked this story and the one before it, read the next one, **Target: Horrorworld**! True, it's not romance-based, but maybe you might laugh. Once. Check out the summary below. Furthermore, other stories by both me and the extremely talented writer, **Winter Yuy**, will definitely follow in the wake of these current stories. Be sure to stick around.

A few people were so incredibly kind to draw fanart based on this little Target 'saga.' They are exceptionally drawn, and I highly recommend you all to check them out! Take a look at **wwwDOTan-eternityDOTcom/vexation/fanart.html.**

Specialthanks for this chapter goes to my good friend, **Wendi**, for writing the first scene (the battle scene with the Ascenian soldiers and the Bakurians and Lasyupians). And, obviously, I thank all of you for sticking around allllllll this time and reviewing like good little reviewers! Mucho hugs and kisses to all of you. Seriously. I really do appreciate it, and I would insert a smiley here except FFdotnet is anal and would just remove it. SO. **Thanks so much!**

**Target: Horrorworld  
Genres: General/Humor  
Rated: T (PG-13)  
Bakura, Anzu, and the rest of their family are on Earth for King Yuugi's wedding. Afterwards, they decide to head to Disneyworld for a little celebrating of their own, much to Bakura's chagrin. Mischief served with a side of disaster, anyone? **

Sound interested? Check it out at **wwwDOTfanfictionDOTnet/s/2406842/1/.**


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